The California Women’s Caucus called Monday for UFC president Dana White to be removed from his leadership role in the wake of him striking his wife.
White was seen on video released last week by TMZ slapping his wife, Anne, while the two were on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, last month.
In an open letter to Ari Emmanuel, the CEO of Endeavor, the company that owns UFC, the caucus wrote: “Every day that Mr. White’s actions go unaccounted for, your silence becomes more piercing and troubling.”
Endeavor, UFC and Emmanuel have not publicly commented on the incident since the video surfaced.
The letter was signed by caucus chairperson State Sen. Nancy Skinner, who represents the East Bay’s 7th District, and vice chair Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, who represents the 4th Assembly District that encompasses much of Wine Country. Both are Democrats but the caucus is bipartisan.
“Mr. White is not only the external face of the UFC, he is the leader who sets the expectations for the athletes as well,” the letter read. “He is the leader who has explained in years past that he stands firmly against domestic violence. If an athlete were to commit violence against their partner, Mr. White is the leader within UFC who will have to determine the consequence.”
White told TMZ in an interview last week that he was “embarrassed” and concerned for how his three children were affected.
“You’ve heard me say for years, ‘There’s never ever an excuse for a guy to put his hands on a woman,’ and now here I am on TMZ talking about it,” White told the website.
UFC spokesman Chris Costello said last week that neither the organization nor White would issue a statement to The Associated Press. Costello referred to White’s comments to TMZ.
The video shows the couple arguing before Anne White slaps her husband, who slaps back before others intervene.
“Dana and I have been married for almost 30 years,” Anne White said in a statement to TMZ. “To say this is out of character for him is an understatement — nothing like this has ever happened before. Unfortunately, we were both drinking too much on New Year’s Eve and things got out of control on both sides. We’ve talked this through as a family and apologized to each other. I just hope people will respect our privacy for the sake of our kids.”
TBS and UFC, which were set to premiere Dana White’s ill-timed new Power Slap League on Wednesday, have postponed the debut of that venture until Jan. 18.
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