(670 The Score) The woman who has accused White Sox right-hander Mike Clevinger of physical and emotional abuse further detailed Wednesday how he allegedly hurt her and their young daughter and explained that she gave him “leeway” for months to address the issue before she spoke with MLB investigators about the incidents.
Olivia Finestead shared her side of the story while on the Parkins & Spiegel Show on Wednesday evening, hours after Clevinger reported to White Sox camp and vehemently denied any wrongdoing. Finestead called Clevinger a liar for making those comments.
“He physically harmed our kid,” Finestead said. “He harmed her during the whole pregnancy of getting me so worked up. I would literally tell him while pregnant, all the time, you’re going to send me to a hospital.”
Finestead alleged that Clevinger slapped her and “threw chew spit” at their daughter in one incident, which aligned with the details that the Athletic first reported on Jan. 24. That incident happened last June, the Athletic previously reported. MLB first contacted Finestead on July 6, she said, but she didn’t start cooperating with the league’s investigation until the second week of September.
Finestead was so stressed out during her relationship with Clevinger that her teeth would be “gushing bleeding,” necessitating emergency medical work, she said.
“It has truly been like hell for me,” she said.
MLB continues to conduct its investigation into Clevinger, who has been permitted to participate in spring training. Finestead has another meeting scheduled with MLB investigators this Friday, she said, but she wasn’t sure about the timeline or status of the investigation beyond that.
Finestead characterized MLB’s investigative work so far as “good” and added that she hasn’t had contact with the White Sox at any point in time. The White Sox signed Clevinger in December and weren’t aware he was under investigation when they did, the team has said. Clevinger played for the Padres in 2022.
Finestead also explained that she gave Clevinger “leeway” for months as she kept the problem quiet and didn’t cooperate with MLB. She was initially focused on settling the matter in mediation “just to get my stuff back, to get my child’s stuff back” and to set up the parameters of how Clevinger could see his daughter while supervision was present.
Finestead also accused Clevinger of using drugs “frequently” and of driving a car while on acid while she and his other two kids were in the vehicle. Finestead was pregnant with their daughter at the time of that incident, she said. She would like him to go to drug rehab and therapy, she said.
“He’s single-handedly tried to ruin my child’s life and mine,” Finestead said.
Finestead was upset at how Clevinger, in her view, portrayed himself as a victim in comments to reporters Wednesday afternoon. It was the first time Clevinger publicly addressed the matter and investigation.
“I’m just asking everyone to wait before they rush to judgment,” Clevinger said. “Just wait until the actual facts are out there. Wait until there’s actual evidence, and then make your decision on who you think I am. But I’ll just really appreciate just a little bit of, you know, just wait for there to be actual evidence before you start making judgments and stuff. This is about my children that I care about even more than this game.”
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