By Adrianna Outlaw | Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Raymond Moore resigned as BNP Paribas Open CEO and tournament director following his sexist remarks about women's tennis.
Photo credit: Michael Cummo/BNP Paribas Open
Raymond Moore took offensive shots at women's tennis on Sunday. He faced the fall-out for his words on Monday.
Moore resigned his post as BNP Paribas Open CEO and tournament director a day after he made sexist and demeaning remarks about women's tennis in an Indian Wells press conference Sunday morning.
Watch: Serena, Vika Strike Back at Moore
Tournament owner Larry Ellison announced Moore's resignation in a statement.
"Earlier today I had the opportunity to speak with Raymond Moore," said BNP Paribas Open owner Ellison in a statement. "Ray let me know that he has decided to step down from his roles as CEO and Tournament Director effective immediately. I fully understand his decision."
Moore, a long-time Indian Wells executive and former ATP pro, diminished women's tennis as riding "on the coattails of the men" and suggested women should "go down every night on (their) knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were born."
“In my next life when I come back I want to be someone in the WTA, because they ride on the coattails of the men,” Moore said. “They don't make any decisions and they are lucky. They are very, very lucky. “If I was a lady player, I'd go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were born, because they have carried this sport. They really have.”
Moore's remarks received immediate condemnation from several players and analysts.
World No. 1 Serena Williams and Indian Wells champion Victoria Azarenka both issued strong rebukes to Moore.
On ESPN's live coverage of the Indian Wells final both Patrick McEnroe and Brad Gilbert called for Moore to step down. Hall of Famer Billie Jean King and WTA CEO Steve Simon, the former Indian Wells tournament director who worked with Moore for years, both criticized Moore for his remarks.
"Raymond Moore has taken full responsibility for the unacceptable comments he has made," Simon said in a statement today. "It is the right decision for him to step down. The BNP Paribas Open has supported the payment of equal prize money to all players since 2009. The WTA looks forward to working with Mr. Ellison and the Indian Wells team on continued efforts in making the sport better and equal for all players."
Ellison said the tournament is committed to equality for women and men.
"Nearly half a century ago, Billie Jean King began her historic campaign for the equal treatment of women in tennis," Ellison said in a statement. "What followed is an ongoing, multi-generational, progressive movement to treat women and men in sports equally. Thanks to the leadership of Billie Jean, Martina Navratilova, Venus Williams, Serena Williams and so many other great women athletes, an important measure of success has already been achieved. I'm proud to say that it is now a decade long tradition at our tournament at Indian Wells, and all the major tennis tournaments, to pay equal prize money to both the women and the men.
"I would like to personally thank all the great women athletes who fought so hard for so many years in the pursuit of equal prize money in professional tennis. And I'd like to congratulate them on their success. All of us here at the BNP Paribas Open promise to continue working with everyone to make tennis a better sport for everybody."