New York Mets fire general manager
The New York Mets did not waste any time in relieving general manager Jared Porter from his duties after ESPN reported that he had sent unwanted inappropriate text messages and images to a female reporter in 2016 while working in the Chicago Cubs’ organization as the Director of Professional Scouting.
“In my initial press conference I spoke about the importance of integrity and I meant it,” Mets’ owner Steve Cohen tweeted on Tuesday, via ESPN. “There should be zero tolerance for this type of behavior.”
Shortly after, team president Sandy Alderson confirmed that the club had indeed let Porter go.
“The New York Mets have terminated General Manager Jared Porter, effective immediately,” Alderson said. “Jared’s actions, as reflected by events disclosed last night, failed to meet the Mets’ standards for professionalism and personal conduct.”
The woman who was subjected to the inappropriate behavior no longer works in journalism, but she did speak to ESPN about why she decided to speak up now after years of silence.
“My number one motivation is I want to prevent this from happening to someone else,” she told ESPN through a spokesperson. “Obviously, he’s in a much greater position of power. I want to prevent that from happening again. The other thing is, I never really got the notion that he was truly sorry.”
“I know in the U.S., there is a women’s empowerment movement. But in [my home country], it’s still far behind,” they continued. “Women get dragged through the mud if your name is associated with any type of sexual scandal. Women are the ones who get fingers pointed at them. I don’t want to go through the victimization process again. I don’t want other people to blame me.”
Prior to announcing the firing of Porter, Alderson spoke to ESPN on Monday evening to discuss the situation.
“I have spoken directly with Jared Porter regarding events that took place in 2016 of which we were made aware tonight for the first time,” Alderson told ESPN.
“Jared has acknowledged to me his serious error in judgment, has taken responsibility for his conduct, has expressed remorse and has previously apologized for his actions. The Mets take these matters seriously, expect professional and ethical behavior from all of our employees, and certainly do not condone the conduct described in your story. We will follow up as we review the facts regarding this serious issue.”
Porter hadn’t even been with the Mets’ organization for more than two months before being let go, as he was just hired on December 13th. He had been with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a senior vice president and assistant general manager prior to being hired by New York.
The Mets did not immediately announce a replacement, but the search is already on with spring training under a month away. The Major League Baseball season is expected to begin as per usual in late-March or early-April but with surging cases of COVID-19 across North America that could still change. The Mets finished dead last in the National League East last season, with a woeful 26-34 record.
