“I Was at Suicide Risk”—Fired MLB GM Confesses the Aftermath of Being Boycotted Post Scandalous Accusations

Back in 2020, Jared Porter was riding high. After decades of climbing through the ranks in MLB, he was named the general manager of the New York Mets. And he was excited with his first big move there—trading for superstar Francisco Lindor. It was an aggressive move, but it turned heads to this new era in the Queens, and safe to say Porter was excited about it.

But just 38 days after heading the team, everything came scrambling down.

In January of 2021, ESPN broke the news about Porter being involved with a female foreign reporter. A series of text messages and even an explicit photo were shared. And so what’s next? The Mets had no choice but to fire Porter after the article was published. Just like that, what was supposed to be the next step in his career turned into a ludicrous public disgrace. And now, after years, Porter shared what he went through during those times.

Porter said in an interview with USA TODAY Sports, “It was pretty crazy. Here I am, trading for Francisco Lindor, and two weeks later I’m in a mental health facility where they wouldn’t let me have shoelaces for 48 hours because I was a suicide risk.” Porter was so taken aback by this shame that he didn’t even dare come out of his home for two full days. But help did come.

The Arizona Diamondbacks, one of Porter’s previous employers, given the severity of the issue, connected him to mental health resources. This then led him to The Meadows, which is an inpatient behavioral health facility. Porter went ahead and finished his three-month outpatient program and now even takes therapy regularly. He didn’t let his mental struggles ruin his career and him at all. He powered through, and now he is on a mission to help others who struggle with the same.

Porter co-founded Blend, which is a mental wellness company. They offer support for athletes, MLB, and NFL players struggling with emotions, addictions, or trauma. Now in his mid-forties, Porter is connected to MLB but in a completely different way. He is chasing to help others avoid the path that he took—not trades! And he revealed that there is one person he is proud of, and it’s Jarren Duran. And it makes sense.

The MLB star who came clean over overcoming his darkest moment

It’s not every day that MLB players come out with what goes on behind the scenes. The real thing beyond the stats and the cheers. Because no one likes a “sob story,” right? That’s the harsh narrative that players go through. They are expected to perform, tough it out, and brush the problems away. But they are human. The pressure of performance, the online chatter, the boos from the crowd if they don’t perform—it gets into many people’s heads. And it did get to Jarren Duran, and he shared his story rather bravely in a Netflix documentary.

In 2024, Duran was lights out with 21 home runs, 34 stolen bases, and snagging the MVP honors at his first All-Star game. But to reach here was not easy; in fact, he was an inch close to not even making it past 2022. Because back in that year, when Duran was all but a rookie, he was struggling. It got to a time so bad that he attempted to even take his own life. “I got to the point where I was sitting in my room, I had my rifle, and I had a bullet, and I pulled the trigger, and the gun clicked, but nothing happened,” shared Durran in the Netflix documentary. But then he took it as God’s sign to move on and not stop, and he hasn’t.

Now he has the words “still alive” on his wristbands before he goes to the games. It’s a simple reminder of how he overcame all the things. The Red Sox fans, manager, and everyone have been extremely open about how they feel about Durran coming clean about the struggles. And the emotion is that—it takes guts to do that. CEO of Boston Red Sox, Sam Kennedy said, “Jarren’s decision to share his story is an act of courage that reaches far beyond baseball. By opening up, he’s showing others who may be struggling that they’re not alone and that asking for help isn’t just okay, it’s essential.” And it couldn’t ring truer.

In MLB, a sport where silence often feels safer than honesty, Durran’s voice and Porter’s voice remind everyone that it takes courage to admit and brave through.

The post “I Was at Suicide Risk”—Fired MLB GM Confesses the Aftermath of Being Boycotted Post Scandalous Accusations appeared first on EssentiallySports.