(CNN) -
Jared Porter, newly hired as general manager of the New York Mets, was fired by the team, less than twelve hours after acknowledging in an ESPN report that he sent explicit and unsolicited texts and photos to a reporter in 2016 .
Porter was then working for the Chicago Cubs as the team's director of Professional Recruiting and Special Assistant.
"We fired Jared Porter this morning," Mets owner Steve Cohen said on Twitter Tuesday.
“In my initial press conference I spoke about the importance of integrity and I meant it.
There must be zero tolerance for this kind of behavior.
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.
advertising
- Steven Cohen (@ StevenACohen2) January 19, 2021
In a statement, Mets President Sandy Alderson said the firing is effective immediately.
"Jared's actions, as reflected in the events revealed last night, do not meet the Mets' standards of professionalism and personal conduct."
In response to CNN's inquiry about Porter's case, Chicago Cubs vice president of communications and community affairs, Julian Green, assured that they were not aware of the story, otherwise they would have taken immediate action.
“This story caught our attention last night and we are not aware that this incident has been reported to the organization.
Had we been notified, we would have taken swift action as the alleged heinous behavior violates our code of conduct.
Although these two people are no longer in the organization, we take sexual harassment issues very seriously and plan to investigate the matter.
According to ESPN, Porter allegedly sent 62 text messages, including seventeen photos to the unidentified reporter, which were not responded to.
ESPN said it obtained the content of the messages in December 2017, which include a photo of a naked, erect penis, as well as interviewing the anonymous reporter, but decided not to report the allegations at the time after the woman said her career would be hurt if the story was published.
CNN is trying to reach Porter for comment.
ESPN contacted Porter Monday night and reportedly acknowledged sending text messages to the woman.
ESPN reports that he initially said he had not sent any photos of himself, but when confronted by the network about how the text messages show that he had sent photos, Porter told ESPN, “the most explicit are not mine.
Those are like, kind of like stock footage of jokes. "
Porter allegedly apologized to the woman in 2016 via text message after she saw the nude photo and sent a text message saying her messages were "extremely inappropriate, very offensive and out of line," he reports. ESPN.
Through an ESPN interpreter, the unidentified woman said: “My number one motivation is that I want to prevent this from happening to someone else.
Obviously, he is in a much greater position of power.
I want to prevent that from happening again.
The other thing is that I never had the idea that he really regretted it.
The woman, who reportedly came to the United States to cover Major League Baseball as a foreign correspondent, told ESPN that she "ignored more than 60 messages from Porter before he posted the last lewd photo."
Mets President Sandy Alderson said in a statement to CNN on Monday: “I have spoken directly with Jared Porter regarding the events that took place in 2016 that we learned about tonight for the first time.
Jared has acknowledged his serious error in judgment, has taken responsibility for his conduct, expressed remorse and previously apologized for his actions.
The two met in an elevator on June 26, 2016 at Yankee Stadium, ESPN reports, and discussed the prospects for international baseball before exchanging business cards.
Porter casually began texting her and "began to compliment her on her appearance, inviting her to meet him in various cities and asking why she was ignoring him," according to ESPN.
ESPN reported that Porter continued to text him and sent dozens of messages that were never answered.
On August 11, 2016, the day after asking her to meet him at a hotel in Los Angeles, Porter sent the woman 17 photos.
The first 15 photos were of the hotel and its restaurants, the 16 was of a photo of the intimate parts in the pants.
The 17th was reportedly a picture of a penis.
According to the report, the woman showed the sexually explicit photo to an interpreter and a player from her home country, the interpreter allegedly helped the reporter put together a message for Porter: “This is extremely inappropriate, highly offensive and goes out of line "Could you stop sending offensive photos or messages?"
Porter reportedly responded, “Oh sorry, I'll stop.
I really apologize.
Please let me know if you ever need anything.
The woman left journalism, ESPN reported, and recently decided to come forward to tell her story, but only anonymously, for fear of a backlash in her country.
Through an ESPN interpreter, the anonymous journalist said: “My number one motivation is that I want to prevent this from happening to someone else.
Obviously, he is in a much greater position of power.
I want to prevent that from happening again.
The thing is, I never had the idea that I was really sorry. "
Porter was hired by the Mets in December 2020 after spending four seasons as senior vice president and assistant general manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Chicago CubsJared PorterNew York MetsMLBNew York Mets
