The New York Mets wasted no time.
On Monday, the franchise was trending on social media when a story of general manager Jared Porter came out that indicated he sent unsolicited texts and images to a female reporter in 2016, culminating with a shot of a naked, erect penis.
ESPN reported that Porter sent the woman — a foreign correspondent who had moved to the U.S. to cover Major League Baseball — 17 pictures. Porter acknowledged to ESPN he had texted with the woman, but initially said he had not sent any pictures of himself. Presented with more evidence he denied the explicit pictures were of himself, calling them “joke stock images.”
On Tuesday, Mets owner Steve Cohen announced GM Jared Porter has been fired saying, “We have terminated Jared Porter this morning. In my initial press conference I spoke about the importance of integrity and I meant it. There should be zero tolerance for this type of behavior.”
The 41-year-old was hired last month from the Diamondbacks as the Mets’ new GM under team president Sandy Alderson.
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“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 said in a statement Monday night. “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 … We will follow up as we review the facts regarding this serious issue.”
The ESPN report says Porter met the woman in an elevator at Yankee Stadium in June 2016 and they talked briefly — the only time they ever spoke.
