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Dana White is a domestic abuser. The UFC boss told TMZ on January 2 that the domestic incident involved “a lot of alcohol,” and that he and his wife, Anne White, apologized to each other and are focused on their family.
Seeming to call out his own hypocrisy, White added, “There was definitely a lot of alcohol, but there’s no excuse. I’m literally making no excuses for this thing at all. It’s never happened before. It’s the first time that it’s ever happened, and people are going to say what they’re going to say.”
“Dana and I have been married for almost 30 years,” Anne told 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.”
While the Whites may claim that he is a first time abuser, Dana has had no problem with repeat offenders of all kinds in his inner circle.
After video was released of conspiracy theorist and UFC commentator Joe Rogan using the n-word on multiple occasions, Dana White allowed Rogan to call MMA bouts after only a short time off the mic and without any direct public scrutiny to the podcast maggot.
Social media calls out Dana White
Though reports of White slapping his wife did make news last week, much like Jerry Jones standing in the middle of a group of White students at Little Rock High School screaming at integrating Black students, it seems the story has already came and went.
Social media users were quick to observe the difference in coverage by pundits which regularly castigate Black men who have committed far less violence than White exhibited.
ESPN declined to comment, even as they continue to partner with White’s Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Though White would prefer to sweep the incident under the rug, even his own employees have come out against the domestic abuser.
Dana White fights like a Karen
Though White has a sewer of defenders who claim he did nothing wrong, noting Anne struck him first, the public at large continues to wait for the backlash to come for a man routinely criticized for paying his fighters a meager wage and pocketing record profits for himself.
The financial threats, public repentance, and counseling/education mandate of Black men in sports who say or do anything controversial requires them to accept full accountability. They are required to demonstrate a Jesus-like humility in the face of media members who keep their names at the top of headlines for weeks and months at a time.
Meanwhile, White men like the WWE’s Vince McMahon weaponize bribes, influence, and their complexion to skirt accountability for decades.
According to AP News, McMahon officially retired as WWE’s chairman and CEO in July after stepping down temporarily from the posts a month earlier. The Wall Street Journal reported over the summer that McMahon agreed to pay more than $12 million over the past 16 years to suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity.
After a little over six months, WWE said Friday that McMahon, the founder and majority shareholder of WWE, would return as executive chairman amid a board shakeup to facilitate a potential sale of the professional wrestling franchise.
According to Front Office Sports, Dana White’s poorly timed Power Slap League will apparently still air as planned later this month on TBS, just one week later than originally planned despite the blatant insensitivity to victims of domestic violence everywhere.
Dana White is emblematic of many White sports owners
American sports are exhilarating. We love to see athletes jump, catch, punch, and score. Sports offer us a chance to see not only the incredible, but the miraculous. Much like the NFL’s Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, some athletes come to represent more than sports, but remind us of the fragility of life and bring people together with faith and love.
Yet, behind every athlete we see is an owner who built the platform for their abilities to soar. However, those same owners who are quick to whip the lash against Black backs routinely seek privacy during their own controversies while offering no remorse or plan of action to repair what they’ve broken.
Where was the privacy for Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who in 2014, was labeled a public menace on his way out of the NFL after striking his then-fiancée in an elevator. Rice lost his livelihood and reputation in a split second and hasn’t recovered either since the TMZ footage was released to the public eye.
The flagrant double standards in American sports continue to hold players to higher account than those who espouse generic statements about family values and equality for all. Yet until all men are held to the same standard, the good ol’ boys will continue to behave like the petulant man babies they’ve always been.