Seattle Mariners: Dr. Lorena Martin fired, controversy ensues

The Mariners are in the news this Monday evening, but for all the wrong reasons.

After reports came out about the termination of Dr. Lorena Martin just one year into her three-year contract, the former Director of High Performance had some strong accusations against Jerry Dipoto, Scott Servais, and Andy McKay. This comes on the heels of a Seattle Times exposé that detailed a series of acts of sexual harassment with CEO and President Kevin Mather at the forefront. True or not, the mounting allegations against the Mariners organization is worrisome and ultimately disturbing.

Ryan Divish later reported that the Mariners are working to avoid paying Dr. Martin for the final two years of her contract. An organization would only be inclined to take such actions if there were a breach of contract. However, Dr. Martin responded to Divish’s initial tweet by alleging that Seattle attempted to “negotiate to keep [her] quiet.” As for what she claims they were trying to sweep under the rug, she had this to say:

Dr. Martin then went on to put Dipoto’s leadership into question, citing the lack of playoff appearances in his time as a Major League general manager. Additionally, Dr. Martin has stated that the Mariners have fired Dominican trainers Leonardo Santiago and José Valdez, claiming both moves to be racially-driven.

The Mariners have responded to Dr. Martin’s claims in the following statement:

As expected, Seattle has refuted each and every one of Dr. Martin’s accusations against them. With no mention of an investigation on the Mariners’ behalf, this may be all the information we will receive on the situation for some time. Without diving too far into speculative territory, the discrepancies over the remaining finances of Dr. Martin’s deal will likely land the two parties in a legal battle that may produce further examination into these claims.

For now, we’ll keep our ear to the ground for more details if they pop up. Either way, this isn’t a good look.