Terry Francona was distracted by marital issues and his use of pain medication last season, a team source told the Boston Globe, an allegation the former Red Sox manager denied.

"It makes me angry that people say these things because I've busted my (butt) to be the best manager I can be," Francona said when the Globe presented him with its findings. "I wasn't terribly successful this year, but I worked harder and spent more time at the ballpark this year than I ever did."

Francona's eight-year tenure with the Red Sox came to an end earlier this month in what was called a mutual decision.

The team declined to exercise an option on Francona's contract following the Red Sox's historic September collapse in which they went 7-20 and failed to make the playoffs.

Francona, married to his wife, Jacque, for almost 30 years, moved out of their house and lived in a hotel this past season, the newspaper reported.

According to the Globe, team sources also had concerns that Francona's performance may have been affected by his use of pain medication.