New Report Details Additional Allegations of Inappropriate Behavior Within Mets Franchise

Multiple current and former Mets staffers detailed occurrences of sexist comments, inappropriate comments and text messages, discrimination based on pregnancy to The Athletic.

Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports

A new report published on Friday by The Athletic details additional accounts of inappropriate behavior by a current and a former member of the Mets.

Multiple people who work at or previously worked at the club detailed occurrences of sexist comments, inappropriate comments and text messages, discrimination based on pregnancy and other allegations within the franchise.

“We were all pawns in this toxic workplace,” one former Mets employee, who has worked in baseball for more than a decade, told The Athletic.

The story by Katie Strang, Brittany Ghiroli and Ken Rosenthal primarily focused on allegations regarding Joe DeVito, the team's former executive producer for content and marketing, and David Newman, the team's chief marketing, content and communications officer. 

At least two women who worked with or around DeVito—who left the team in March—spoke to team lawyers describing incidents they considered sexual harassment, according to The Athletic. 

“I won't dignify the allegations you are hearing with a response except to say I've always tried to be a gentleman with everyone with whom I work and with whom I'm involved with personally,” DeVito said in a statement to The Athletic.

Newman, the team’s chief marketing, content and communications officer, rejoined the team in November. He had previously been with the club from 2005 to '18, which is the timeline for the accounts detailed about him. Among the stories about Newman include an account of pregnancy discrimination. 

In March, Mets owner Steve Cohen announced in an organization-wide email that the law firm WilmerHale had been hired to conduct a review “workplace culture … with a focus on sexual harassment, misconduct and discrimination issues."

The news of the review came after general manager Jared Porter was fired following an ESPN report detailed a string of explicit and unsolicited text messages sent to a female reporter in 2016 while he was working for the Cubs. 

Accounts about former Mets manager Mickey Callaway also surfaced, where is alleged to have sent and solicited lewd photos to multiple sports media members and acted inappropriately toward numerous women while working for Cleveland, the Mets and the Angels. 

The Athletic also previously reported that the Mets parted with former minor league coordinator Ryan Ellis in January. According to The Athletic, three women reported to human resources in 2018 that Ellis acted inappropriately toward them.

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