Washington, DC (January 19, 2021) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) commended the New York Mets for its decision to fire General Manager Jared Porter over 62 sexually explicit, and unanswered, texts that he acknowledged sending to a female journalist when he was employed with the Chicago Cubs. Mets Owner Steve Cohen said in a Tweet, “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.”
“Mets Owner Steve Cohen took responsibility for ensuring that sexual harassment is not tolerated by firing its new General Manager. It is crucial for men to speak up and hold each other accountable for perpetuating sexual exploitation or harassment,” said Dawn Hawkins, senior vice president and executive director of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
“What this situation underscores is that Corporate America must be a part of the solution to curb sexual harassment and exploitation wherever it is found. The Mets are to be commended for taking the lead in confronting this behavior within its ranks. The female reporter at the receiving end of Porter’s sexually-explicit texts should have never experienced sexual harassment or exploitation and we hope that the Mets’ swift action to confront Porter will bring some measure of justice for her.”
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is recognizing the New York Mets with its Dignity Defense Alert for rejecting sexual harassment in an industry-leading move. NCOSE’s Dignity Defense Alert is a new campaign to recognize the people, companies, and nonprofits, who are taking action to defend human dignity from any form of sexual abuse or exploitation.
About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-partisan organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.