In his first public comments since being fired by the Mets, Jared Porter admitted he sent the inappropriate messages that led to him losing his job, saying he had no ill will towards the team and was trying to portray a changed man. He said he tried to do so.
Mr. Porter was hired as general manager in December 2020 and served in the role for 37 days.
In January 2021, ESPN reported that he had sent lewd text messages to a female journalist in 2016, as well as 62 unanswered text messages.
Steve Cohen and Sandy Alderson fired Porter, but Porter has not spoken publicly since.
“I put myself in that situation,” Porter said on the “Baseball Isn't Boring” podcast. “I decided to send the text message that I sent, and I never should have done that.”
Mr Porter said his relationship with the reporter was “inappropriate” for “a number of reasons”.
The message, which included an erect penis, was sent while Porter was with the Cubs.
He rose through the industry ranks to become assistant general manager for the Diamondbacks and was later hired by the Mets, while a woman (a foreign correspondent who had immigrated to the United States to cover Major League Baseball) left her journalism job amidst harassment. He left and returned to her. Motherland.
Porter apologized to the woman and said he understood the Mets' quick decision to fire him.
“When that article came out, they had to make a case for being the best fit for the New York Mets,” Porter said. “I don't have any ill will towards them. I think they made the best decision for the Mets. I'm sorry I put myself and put them in that situation.” is.”
After being fired, Porter said she sought help from a mental health facility in Arizona for “about a week.”
He cited a lack of boundaries and a “huge emotional wall” that required professional attention.
“I literally went from trading for Francisco Lindor a few weeks ago to being an inpatient in a mental health facility and not being allowed to put laces in my shoes until I was determined that I was not suicidal. ,” Porter said. .
He was transferred to an outpatient center where he stayed five days a week for eight weeks. He said he still sees a therapist and his wife attends mental health retreats.
Porter, who was hired during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, has yet to meet Cohen in person or see his office at Citi Field. he said.
“I'm really grateful for everything,” Porter said of the scandal. “That set me on a path of growth. … I think it took a big incident like this for me to wake up.”
