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The owner of the New York Mets in Major League Baseball reported today that he broke off contractual relations with the team’s general manager, Jared Porter.
Porter has been singled out for sending sex photos to a reporter in 2016, when the manager was working for the Chicago Cubs, ESPN reported Monday night.
“We dispensed with Jared Porter this morning,” Mets owner Steven Cohen wrote on his Twitter account Tuesday morning..
“In my first press conference with the team I talked about the importance of integrity. I reaffirm. There will be no tolerance for this kind of behavior,” Cohen added on his Twitter.
We killed Jared Porter this morning. In my initial press conference, I talked about the importance of integrity and in the same way: there should be zero tolerance for this type of behavior.
– Steven Cohen (@ StevenACohen2) January 19, 2021
Porter, 41, became Mets general manager this preseason. He was to be the team manager for the next four years. Many members of the Mets administrative office are new with the arrival of the new owner. Cohen bought from the Mets this year.
ESPN reported that Porter sent photos and sexual content to a reporter, including one of an erect penis. As quoted by The Associated Press, Porter admitted the facts to Mets president Sandy Alderson.
“I spoke directly with Jared Porter about this matter that happened in 2016 and what we are aware of since tonight (Monday). Jared acknowledged his poor misjudgment and has taken responsibility for his conduct. He expressed remorse and apologies, ”Alderson said.
The reporter said she recently made the decision, on condition of anonymity, to uncover the facts because she feared repercussions in her country, ESPN reported. The reporter is a foreign journalist who moved to the United States to cover Major League Baseball, ESPN detailed.
According to the reporter, she and Porter met in an elevator at Yankee Stadium in 2016 and shared business cards about their roles. According to the reporter, this occasion was the only one in which they exchanged words.
After sending sex photos by text message, Porter sent other complimenting messages to the reporter, inviting her to meet in other cities and reproaching her for the woman’s refusal to answer. According to ESPN, Porter apologized to the reporter in 2016 via text messages to send them photos of sexual content.
Porter has been working for the past four seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks as senior vice president and assistant general manager.
He was hired in New York to build the 2021 edition of the Mets. Under Porter, the Mets reached an agreement two weeks ago with the Cleveland Indians to acquire Puerto Rican star Francisco Lindor in the most notorious change this preseason.