Mets general manager Jared Porter’s position with the team may be on shaky ground following a report late Monday night indicating that in 2016 he sent unsolicited texts and images to a female reporter, culminating in ‘ a shot of a naked, erect penis.
ESPN reports that Porter, then working for the Cubs, sent 17 photos of the woman – a foreign correspondent who moved to the US to cover Major League Baseball. The first 15 photos were of a hotel and restaurants. The 16th was from a bump in his pants and the 17th from a bare penis.
Porter admitted to ESPN that he sent an SMS with the woman, but initially said he did not send any photos of himself. Presented with more evidence, he denies that the explicit photos were of himself, calling them ‘joke examples’.
Porter, 41, was hired by the Diamondbacks last month as the new GM of Mets under team president Sandy Alderson.
“I spoke directly with Jared Porter about events that took place in 2016 that we were made aware of for the first time tonight,” Alderson said in a statement Monday night. Jared admitted his serious misjudgment to me, accepted responsibility for his behavior, expressed remorse and had previously apologized for his actions.
“The Mets take these matters seriously, expect professional and ethical conduct from all our employees and certainly do not condone the accused conduct … We will follow up if we review the facts regarding this serious matter.”
According to the ESPN report, Porter met the woman in an elevator at Yankee Stadium in June 2016 and spoke briefly – the only time they ever spoke.