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New York Mets general manager Jared Porter was fired early Tuesday morning after reports emerged that he had sent unsolicited and explicit photos to a female reporter in 2016, team owner Steve Cohen said.
Cohen made the announcement on Twitter a day after reports revealed that Porter began inappropriately texting a female journalist over the course of several weeks when he worked as the Chicago Cubs' director of professional scouting back in 2016.
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"We have terminated Jared Porter this morning," Cohen said in his statement. "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."
The victim, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution in her home country, told ESPN that she first met Porter in an elevator at Yankee Stadium on June 26, 2016, after moving to the U.S. to cover Major League Baseball.
She said the two exchanged contact information for what she believed was business purposes, but Porter immediately began texting her that same day asking her to meet several times for a drink, according to the report. He proceeded to send her a selfie and ask if she was in a relationship. The woman said she had not picked up on the nature of the conversation, likely because of the language barrier.
Porter allegedly texted the woman the next day, again asking to meet up and commenting on her physical appearance. They set up plans to meet but never did, she said.
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She says Porter then reached out again on July 19 and then sent her a number of pictures, one which showed a man lying in bed with a bulge in his pants. She realized the sexual nature behind his texts and cut off all communication, the report states.
According to ESPN, Porter would send 62 unanswered text messages between July 19 and Aug. 10 – including one photo of his penis.
The woman said she eventually showed the messages to a player and interpreter from her home country who helped her craft a message that read: "This is extremely inappropriate, very offensive, and getting out of line. Could you please stop sending offensive photos or msg."
Porter sent several messages apologizing, including one that reportedly said: "Please let me know if you ever need anything work wise." He texted her saying sorry the next day. The following day he sent her a picture of Dodger stadium – his final attempt at reaching out, according to ESPN.
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The Cubs told ESPN in a statement Monday night that they will be investigating the incident but were unaware until today, despite the woman saying she spoke about it with a Cubs employee in 2016 and again in 2017.
"This story came to our attention tonight and we are not aware of this incident ever being reported to the organization," the statement read. "Had we been notified, we would have taken swift action as the alleged behavior is in violation of our code of conduct."
Porter was hired by the Mets in December. He previously worked for the Boston Red Sox and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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When contacted by ESPN, Porter acknowledged texting the woman, adding that the explicit photos were "kinda like joke-stock images."
He later declined to comment after learning about ESPN’s plans to write a report.