The Mets’ sexual harassment problems appear to be getting worse.
Athletic reported on Wednesday that three women who worked or worked for the Mets reported disturbing exchanges between them and beating performance coordinator Ryan Ellis in the summer of 2018 for Aubrey Wechsler, then manager of staff relations for staff.
An employee told Weschler that Ellis said to her, “I keep looking at your ass all the time. If I could have 15 minutes alone with you. “
Ellis remained employed at Mets until he was discreetly discharged after GM Jared Porter resigned in January, after Porter admitted having sent inappropriate texts to a reporter while working for the Cubs.
“On January 19 this year, after Jared Porter’s termination, we received new information about the conduct of the disciplined employee in the 2017-2018 period,” Mets said in a statement to The Athletic.
“We immediately started a new investigation and fired the employee on January 22 for violating company policy and failing to meet Mets standards for professionalism and personal conduct.”
It is unclear what new information arrived in January or why the team decided not to act more severely on previous allegations. The initial investigation into Ellis took place at about the same time that the Mets was investigating a previous charge against Mickey Callaway, then the manager of the Mets.
The seriousness of the charges against Callaway – now the Angels’ pitching coach – recently surfaced in a separate report from The Athletic. Callaway is currently suspended while the MLB and the Angels investigate further.
Ellis spent most of his tenure at Mets, which started in 2006, in the minor leagues. He was promoted to the major league team last season when coach Chili Davis withdrew due to concerns about COVID-19.
The first accuser, who kept a diary in which she documented the allegations, said she was informed by Weschler – who still works for the team – that she needed more evidence to support her accusations. She reached out to the other two women she knew and who had already had problems with Ellis.
One woman, who had a brief sexual relationship with Ellis, said he continued to send unwanted messages after the relationship ended. The third accuser said Ellis would make sexually suggestive comments to her and other employees and would call her late at night and ask if her boyfriend was at home.
According to the first accuser, Mets contacted two weeks later and said the investigation had been completed.
“In July 2018, a complaint about Mets employee misconduct was brought to the attention of the Mets management at that time,” the team told The Athletic. “The organization initiated an investigation and, as a result, the employee was punished, placed on probation and submitted to counseling. We have not received any previous or subsequent complaints about this employee. “
The second accuser said she had not heard from the team until January, when the “new information” appeared.
“They were asking about the relationship part. They were not really interested in the harassment. It was about them they caught him in a lie, ”the woman told The Athletic.