Jared Porter, the general manager of the New York Mets, was fired Tuesday after ESPN reported he sent a female reporter sexually explicit and unsolicited texts in 2016.
“There should be zero tolerance for this type of behavior,” Steve Cohen, the owner of the Mets, said on Twitter.
The announcement came after ESPN reported Monday evening that the woman, a female correspondent who was unidentified by the network, said at one point she ignored more than 60 messages from Porter before he sent a lewd photo. The Mets did not learn of the texts until the report.
ESPN, which said it had reviewed texts, reported Porter apologized to the woman in 2016 by text after she saw a naked picture and texted that his messages were “extremely inappropriate, very offensive, and getting out of line.”
According to ESPN, Porter said he texted with the woman but initially denied sending any images. He later said the more explicit photos were not of him but were “joke-stock images.”
NBC News tried to contact Porter, but has yet to hear back.
Before Porter was fired, Mets president Sandy Alderson released a statement saying that “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 Chicago Cubs, which employed Porter in 2016, told ESPN they plan to investigate the matter further, adding they were not aware of the incident ever being reported to the organization. NBC has also reached out to the Cubs for comment.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
