Dana White spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since the video of him slapping his wife surfaced. He indicated that he would not be taking a leave of absence. It appears that ESPN, Endeavor and the UFC will not pursue any additional punishment.
For his part, White won the press conference by stating the obvious about his actions. He indicated that his punishment is being labeled a domestic abuser and the video will be associated with him for the rest of his life.
ESPN, Endeavor and the UFC had no comment on the TMZ-released video which shows White and his wife in an argument and his wife slapping White and White responded with his own slap. He claimed in a TMZ interview that alcohol was at fault for the actions. While White has done nothing but express remorse for his actions, his business partners and bosses remained silent.
Earlier this week, a California advocacy group comprised of state lawmakers demanded White’s resignation for is actions.
Despite the fact that some athletes and actors called out the UFC and ESPN for his actions, many fighters defended him. At the press conference today, White claimed that a suspension would not do anything for him and would actually hurt the fighters.
Payout Perspective:
Yet again, another embarrassing episode for everyone except Dana White. White won the press conference no doubt. He owned up to his mistake, he asked others not to defend him and he gave a reason why he should not take time off. But, Endeavor, the UFC and ESPN remained silent and allowed White to determine his punishment. There are no consequences for White because his claim that he will be labeled an ‘abuser’ really does not harm him in any way because he does not care what people think. There has been no public donation to help domestic violence victims, no monetary fine we know of and not any statement from any partners or his boss denouncing White’s actions. A punishment chosen by the offender is not really a punishment.
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