The position of Mets general manager Jared Porter with the team may be on unstable ground after a report on Monday night indicating that he sent unsolicited texts and images to a reporter in 2016, culminating in a photo of a penis standing naked.
ESPN reported that Porter, then working for the Cubs, sent the woman – a foreign correspondent who moved to the U.S. to cover the Major League Baseball – 17 photos. The first 15 photos were of a hotel and restaurants. The 16th was a bulge in the pants and the 17th was a naked penis.
Porter acknowledged to ESPN that he had sent a text message with the woman, but initially said he had not sent any pictures of him. Presented with more evidence, he denied that the explicit photos were of himself, calling them “joke file images”
Porter, 41, was hired last month by the Diamondbacks as the new Mets GM under the command of Team President Sandy Alderson.
“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 on Monday night. “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 while we analyze the facts related to this serious problem.”
According to the ESPN report, Porter met the woman in an elevator at Yankee Stadium in June 2016 and they chatted briefly – the only time they talked.