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Major League Baseball has updated its Harassment and Discrimination Code of Conduct and also established an anonymous hotline following recent stories detailing alleged harassment by New York Mets general manager Jared Porter , since fired, and currently suspended the Los Angeles Angels pitching coach. Mickey Callaway.
The code of conduct, led by new MLB chief of staff and culture officer Michele Meyer-Shipp, promises that “all MLB and club staff will be held accountable for inappropriate conduct, regardless of their position. seniority, rank or stature “, according to the documents obtained. by ESPN Tuesday.
In a statement, MLB said it was “determined to ensure that all people who work in and around the game are welcomed and treated equally, with dignity, respect and professionalism. To achieve this goal, MLB and its clubs will continue to strive to create environments in which people feel safe and accepted – and when they don’t, they feel comfortable speaking out without fear of grievance, retaliation or exclusion. “
The anonymous MLB hotline, called “Speak Up”, will be managed by an outside third party, and its content will be investigated either by the team involved or by the Commissioner’s office, depending on the nature of the job. ‘allegation. A flyer that will be posted on the walls of every major league clubhouse this season outlines three steps for those with information about sexual misconduct and states that “if wrongdoing has occurred, corrective action will be taken. Depending on the seriousness of the situation, corrective action may take the form of a warning, suspension, termination or any other action available to a club or the commissioner. “
The league also sent a note to teams requiring anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training to be completed by the end of March by the top five baseball operations and top five business officials. , a source confirmed to ESPN. He also encouraged teams to adopt annual training in a similar format for all non-playing staff; teams are already running seminars on sexual harassment and domestic violence for major league players every spring training. The league previously required teams to take anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training at least every three years from 2018 to 2020, but did not specify senior leaders and did not establish a comprehensive approach to l ‘education.
On January 18, ESPN reported on a series of explicit and unsolicited text messages Porter sent to a reporter in 2016 while working for the Chicago Cubs, one of which included an image of an erect penis. Porter acknowledged the texts and was fired the next day by the Mets.
Two weeks later, The Athletic released a report in which five women in sports media accused Callaway of inappropriate behavior including sending shirtless photographs, requesting nude photos and other advances, prompting the angels to call him away. suspend in the middle of an ongoing investigation. Callaway, a source said, initially denied any wrongdoing.
Several teams – including the Mets, Cleveland Indians and Cubs, which previously employed Porter or Callaway or both – worked on ways to update their verification process and install new protocols as a result of these. reports.
Meyer-Shipp, who was hired in August after serving as director of diversity and inclusion at accounting firm KPMG, is also reviewing the ‘Selig rule’ which urged teams to consider minorities for positions. leading.
The new code of conduct emphasizes inclusion, acceptance and equality, defines harassment and discrimination, and encourages those employed by the league to report obscene behavior. The leaflet states that reports of improper conduct “will be kept confidential to the extent possible for a thorough and legally authorized investigation” and called retaliation against such complaints a “serious violation”.
“Harassment and discrimination have no place in Major League Baseball,” the league said in its statement. “We are grateful for the courage of the women who shared their stories, and we believe that open dialogue is an important part of progress. We must work to create a level playing field for everyone involved in our game.”
The Athletic first reported the league’s political news.
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