Major League Baseball forced out the architect of its multibillion-dollar digital-media business last month, after years of troubling workplace behavior that former baseball executives were said to be made aware of at least a decade ago.

Bob Bowman led MLB Advanced Media for 17 years, building it into a powerhouse digital platform that made the otherwise hidebound league the envy of pro sports. BAMTech, a spinoff of MLB Advanced Media, is now majority-owned by Walt Disney Co., which paid $2.58 billion to take control over the last 16 months.

Mr. Bowman was one of the most influential people in sports and digital media when MLB announced his departure on Nov. 6, saying he had told Rob Manfred, the league’s commissioner, that he wouldn’t seek to renew his contract.

Other forces were at work, people familiar with the situation said. Mr. Bowman verbally abused a co-worker in October, prompting Mr. Manfred to push him out, these people said. That was preceded by a July incident in which Mr. Bowman allegedly shoved an executive with the group that owns the Boston Red Sox.

“The culture that started at BAM was hard working and driven. At times, it was also inappropriate and I take full responsibility,” Mr. Bowman said in a statement to The Wall Street Journal. “This inappropriate behavior reflects my personal flaws and not someone else’s. This behavior and my personal behavior were wrong. To those who felt the sting of my behavior, I am truly sorry. To my family, friends and business colleagues who have been steadfastly supportive of me, and whom I have embarrassed, I apologize.”