Mets dumping head of HR, general counsel after review of workplace culture
The day of reckoning arrived for the Mets on Monday amidst a turbulent first go-round for the Steve Cohen Era.
The hedge-fund magnate, who purchased the team last fall, announced in an internal email that two longtime, high-ranking employees, general counsel David Cohen and senior vice president of human resources and diversity Holly Lindvall, would be let go following a transition period. The firings resulted from an internal review of the team’s culture by the law firm WilmerHale in the wake of a slew of off-the-field sexual harassment controversies.
The email, a copy of which was obtained by The Post, makes clear that team president Sandy Alderson, who took accountability for the two most high-profile imbroglios, is viewed as part of the solution. Alderson, as per Steve Cohen’s words, has started a weekly email to all employees as part of an initiative to increase communication and transparency.
On Jan. 19, the Mets fired for cause general manager Jared Porter, whom they had hired the previous month, less than 24 hours after ESPN reported of several unsolicited, lewd texts that Porter had sent to a female journalist in 2016, when he worked for the Cubs. Two weeks later, the Athletic reported that former Mets manager Mickey Callaway, whom Alderson had hired in 2017 when he served as the Mets’ GM, had harassed multiple female reporters while managing the Mets as well as during his previous job as Indians pitching coach. The Mets also quietly let go hitting performance coordinator Ryan Ellis after multiple complaints about his conduct with female employees.
An April 16 report by the Athletic offered multiple allegations by team employees that Lindvall, who began working for the Mets in 2014, prioritized her relationship with the Wilpons, who owned the team until they sold it to Steve Cohen, over the employees’ well-being. David Cohen started with the Mets as an intern in 1995 and rose to his important post about a decade later.
In the email, Steve Cohen vowed to implement a series of changes designed to make employees feel safer. Among them are upward evaluations (employees evaluating their supervisors), office hours for supervisors; an expansion of the “Non-Fraternization, Dating, and Romantic Relationships Policy”; and more expedient and efficient handling of complaints.
“I’m optimistic that, together, we can strengthen our organization and build a more respectful, diverse, and fun place to work,” Steve Cohen wrote.