David Sullivan steps down at West Ham to fight claims about private life | West Ham United
David Sullivan announced in a statement that he has resigned as joint chairman and director of West Ham.
Sullivan and his legal representatives announced their intention to withdraw on the club’s website on Saturday “in the interest of transparency.” The letter said: “I have recently become aware that decades of factually false and completely false allegations about my personal life will be published.
“The false allegations made against me have been sensationalized by the media. After a lifetime of building a business in the adult industry, where I have met thousands of women, it is unfortunately inevitable that a small number of allegations of inappropriate behavior will be made against me. I categorically deny these allegations.
“I am a private man, and those who know the real David Sullivan personally and professionally, not the caricature invented by the tabloids, know exactly who I am and what I represent. I am certainly not who the media has decided to portray me as.
“I have not been given proper explanation as to how these individuals or their claims were independently verified or evaluated for credibility before publication. I believe the entire process was fundamentally unfair and completely lacking in required impartiality.”
“I will be suing the BBC and other media outlets that repeat defamatory claims for libel.
“None of these allegations relate to my more than 30 years in football; West Ham United has been one of the great passions and privileges of my life. I care deeply about the club, its fans, players, staff and its future. “At what is already a challenging and important time for the club, I refuse to allow personal matters involving me to become an unnecessary distraction or source of instability.
“Therefore, after very careful consideration and with regret, I have decided to resign as Joint Chairman and Director of West Ham United FC with immediate effect.
“This was an incredibly painful decision, but one that is driven by love, respect and responsibility for a football club and a fan base that deserves absolute unity and focus on progress.
“I am resigning to devote all my energy and attention to combating these false allegations. I have officially engaged my legal team and we are preparing to take legal action in relation to each false complaint made against me. I will seek full redress, legally and publicly, on all fronts.
“As I leave, I would like to thank everyone connected with West Ham United, past and present, for the loyalty, friendship, memories, European adventures and achievements that I will carry with me forever.
“West Ham United will always remain close to my heart and I have every confidence that the Board and interim Chief Executive Karim Virani will do everything they can to move the club in the right direction. I wish everyone associated with the club every success in the future.”
“I will not be making any further public comment at this stage, but I reserve all legal rights available to me in relation to any false or defamatory claims.”
West Ham were relegated on the final day of the season after finishing 18th in the Premier League.
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