New York Mets general manager Jared Porter was fired early Tuesday morning after reports surfaced that he had sent unsolicited and explicit photos to a female reporter in 2016, team owner Steve Cohen said.
Cohen made the announcement on Twitter a day after reports revealed that Porter had inappropriately started texting a female journalist in a few weeks’ time when he worked as a director of professional reconnaissance at the Chicago Cubs in 2016.
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“We ended Jared Porter this morning,” Cohen said in his statement. “In my initial press conference, I talked about the importance of integrity and I meant it. There should be no tolerance for this type of behavior.”
The victim, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation in her home country, told ESPN that she first met Porter on June 26, 2016 in an elevator at Yankee Stadium after moving to the US has to cover Major League Baseball.
According to her, the two exchanged contact details for matters she believes, but Porter immediately started texting her the same day to meet her for a drink, according to the report. He then sent her a selfie and asked if she had a relationship. The woman said she did not record the nature of the conversation, probably due to the language barrier.
Porter allegedly texted the woman the next day and asked to meet again and comment on her physical appearance. They made plans to meet, but never did, she said.
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She says Porter then reissued on July 19 and then sent her a number of photos, one of which showed a man lying in bed with a bump in his pants. She realized the sexual nature behind his texts and cut off all communication, the report said.
According to ESPN, between July 19 and August 10, Porter would send 62 unanswered text messages, including one photo of his penis.
The woman said she finally showed the messages to a player and interpreter from her homeland who helped her create a message with the words: “This is extremely inappropriate, very offensive and out of line. Can you please stop sending offensive photos or sending a message? ”
Porter sent several messages apologizing, including one that reportedly said, “Please let me know if you ever need anything wise.” He texted her the next day and said sorry. The next day, he sent her a photo of Dodger Stadium – according to ESPN, his last attempt to reach out.
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The Cubs said in a statement to ESPN on Monday night that they would investigate the incident, but were still unaware to this day, despite the woman saying she spoke to a Cubs employee about it in 2016 and again in 2017.
“This story came to our attention tonight and we do not know that this incident was ever reported to the organization,” the statement said. “If we had been notified, we would have acted quickly because the alleged conduct violated our code of conduct.”
Porter was appointed by the Mets in December. He previously worked for the Boston Red Sox and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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When ESPN contacted him, Porter admitted that he texted the woman, adding that the explicit photos were “kind of jokes.”
He later declined to comment after hearing about ESPN’s plans to write a report.