Just five weeks into his new role as General Manager of the NY Mets, Jared Porter was fired for admittedly sending inappropriate and explicit text messages to a female foreign correspondent.
The repulsive news made headlines yesterday morning sending shockwaves throughout national media and broadcasting outlets world-wide.
Mets new owner Steve Cohen reportedly made the confirmation, expressing his sentiments by tweet, “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”.
Team President Sandy Alderson also voiced his thoughts via video to SNY’s Steve Gelbs, “I was shocked. Umm, you know we had references from a variety of organizations, a number of individuals. Uhh, people that have known him for a long time, people who’ve endorsed him, who knew him from you know his earliest days in college. There wasn’t really a descending voice so, you know from my standpoint, I was shocked”.
The MLB has been undergoing some remarkable transformations within its organization, making historical decisions, breaking traditional barriers. This being said, along with the breakthroughs comes the exertion of upholding its rules and making executive judgments.
Considering the nature and current climate, it was inevitable for the franchise to move forward with this outcome, revoking the terms of Porter’s contract indefinitely. It conveys the message that the league is stringent on any actions or behaviors that could jeopardize the conference, its members, and most importantly the women’s movement within the sports industry.
The female reporter, who relocated to the US to pursue an international correspondent career covering Pro Baseball, was victimized in 2016 by Porter stating in one instance she ignored more than 60 text messages from him. What began as a casual communication turned lewd with Porter sending an image of his groin.
The allegation, leaked by a baseball source close to ESPN who made contact with the woman, asked initially why she was hesitant on reporting the former Chicago Clubs Director of Professional Scouting, she cited being fearful of harming her career. She has since resigned from journalism.
Recently, the MLB appointed several women in prominent positions. Michele Meyer-Shipp-the league’s first Chief People and Culture Officer, Kim Ng-General Manager of the Miami Marlins, Alyssa Nakken-first female full-time Coach for the San Francisco Giants, and Bianca Smith-the league’s first Black female Coach.
In light of this, the MLB took their stance in demonstrating that regardless of the position, any form of incivility towards a woman it will not be tolerated under any circumstance.
