On Monday, Eric Adams was hoping to applaud the launch of a new initiative that will create work opportunities for students. Instead, the mayor had to answer questions about his administration’s employment practices once again.

Adams said that Timothy Pearson, a close friend and newly appointed senior advisor, was not fired, but made the decision to leave World Resorts Casino to focus on helping the city recover from the pandemic.

The New York Times last week was the first to raise ethical questions about Pearson, a retired police official, holding a position with the administration while also working for a casino looking to expand across the city. Over the weekend, Pearson left his job at the casino.

“Pearson made the decision that he wanted to focus on public safety and [COVID-19] recovery. He was not let go,” Adams said, who insisted no rules were broken.

Adams also called Pearson a 9/11 hero.

“When the buildings collapsed, he was inside one of the buildings and led people to safety,” Adams said. “We need to lift up our 9/11 heros and he has been a member of the New York Police Department. And I am just jumping for joy to have him as a member of our team.”

Resorts World Casino released a statement in response to Pearson’s departure, praising the former NYPD official for his work.

“Tim is a distinguished hero who served the city for many years as a leader at NYPD. Tim used those same skills to keep our facility and community safe for over a decade. We support his decision to lend his expertise to the city in its pursuit of making our streets safer, and we wish him well,” the statement read.

Adams also insisted that the controversy surrounding Pearson is not something that New Yorkers are paying attention to.

“When I walk down the block, people aren’t talking about that. They’re talking about jobs. They’re talking about housing. They’re talking about public safety,” Adams said. “They are not asking me, ‘oh why did you appoint Tim Pearson as your person?’”