UltraViolet Escalates Calls for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to Suspend Kevin Porter Jr. Without Pay Before Training Camp Begins Sept. 26th
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, September 20, 2023
CONTACT: Anna Zuccaro | anna@unbendablemedia.com
UltraViolet Escalates Calls for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to Suspend Kevin Porter Jr. Without Pay Before Training Camp Begins Sept. 26th
Over 11,000 people join Ultraviolet in urging NBA’s Adam Silver to suspend Kevin Porter Jr. without pay, take disciplinary action after domestic abuse charges
NEW YORK, NY — Today, UltraViolet, a leading national gender justice advocacy group, escalated calls for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to suspend Kevin Porter Jr. of the Houston Rockets without pay for domestic abuse before the start of training camp on Tue., September 26.
Porter was charged with assaulting his girlfriend, former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, in Manhattan last week. Gondrezick described Porter punching her repeatedly in the face; she has since sustained a fractured vertebra in her neck.
Over the past seven days, UltraViolet’s petition echoing demands for Commissioner Silver to suspend Porter from the NBA, and for the NBA to reassess and update its policies around sexual and gender-based violence committed by players and staff, has garnered over 11,000 signatures and counting.
VIEW THE PETITION HERE: https://act.weareultraviolet.
“Kevin Porter Jr. is an abuser and walking liability for the NBA,” said Nicole Regalado, Vice President of Campaigns at UltraViolet. “NBA Commissioner Adam Silver knows Porter has a sustained history of troublesome off-court actions, separate from this past week’s domestic violence incident; the Houston Rockets know simply trading Porter elsewhere won’t stop him from physically harming more women. That’s why we are escalating our calls for Porter to be suspended without pay before the start of the NBA’s training season on Sept. 26th. For too long, abusers like Kevin Porter Jr. have been incentivized and enabled by professional sports leagues. It’s time for Adam Silver and the NBA to take a stand: bench Porter without pay until the Manhattan district attorney’s office conducts its investigation and the legal process is concluded.”
UltraViolet has a long history of holding sports leagues and their leaders, including the NFL, accountable for their complacency toward players who commit domestic violence.
In 2015, the group launched the #GoodellMustGo campaign, demanding Commissioner Roger Goodell’s termination after his failure to adequately address domestic violence in the NFL and tolerance for sexual harassment against women employees.
In 2020, UltraViolet insisted that the NFL compel Dan Snyder to sell the Commanders after an investigation revealed his role in enabling, encouraging and fostering a hostile workplace and toxic culture for women. Last month, the demand was met after NFL owners voted unanimously for the team’s sale from the Snyder family.
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