Red Sox: No beer in the dugout

So it’s come to this.

The Red Sox issued a statement late last night, with three pitchers and their former manager denying anyone drank beer in the dugout.

Read that last sentence again. That’s where this franchise is right now.

Good luck, Cherington. You’re going to need it.

Here’s what Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, John Lackey and Terry Francona had to say.

Lester: “The accusation that we were drinking in the dugout during games is completely false. Anonymous sources are continuing to provide exaggerated and, in this case, inaccurate information to the media.”

Beckett: “I cannot let this allegation go without response; enough is enough. I admit that I made mistakes along the way this season, but this has gone too far. To say that we drank in the dugout during the game is not true.”

Lackey: “There are things that went on this season that shouldn’t have happened, but this latest rumor is not true, and I felt that it was important to try to stop this from going any further.”

Francona: “In 32 years of professional baseball, I have never seen someone drinking beer in the dugout.”