The Mets fired GM Jared Porter early on Tuesday after a sexting scandal was revealed.
“We fired Jared Porter this morning,” owner Steve Cohen tweeted. “In my initial press conference, I talked about the importance of integrity and I meant it. There must be zero tolerance for this type of behavior. “
Porter, who was hired by Mets team president Sandy Alderson, this off-season, sent the texts to a foreign reporter in 2016, when he ran the Cubs scouting department.
The texts included a photo of a bulge in Porter’s pants while he was lying on the bed and an erect penis. At one point, Porter sent 62 consecutive texts to the reporter without reply.
“The most explicit ones are not me. These are like pictures of jokes, ”Porter told ESPN after acknowledging the sending of the texts.
Alderson and the Mets released a statement Monday night after the ESPN.com report.
“I spoke directly with Jared Porter about the events that took place in 2016, of which we were informed this evening for the first time,” said Alderson in a statement. “Jared acknowledged to me his serious error of judgment, took responsibility for his conduct, expressed remorse and has already apologized for his actions.
“Mets take these issues seriously, expect professional and ethical behavior from all our employees and certainly do not tolerate the conduct described. … We will follow up as we analyze the facts related to this serious problem. “
Cohen then acted quickly using Twitter to announce the 41-year-old general manager’s resignation.