UFC reinstates Travis Browne after investigation is inconclusive
The UFC reinstated heavyweight Travis Browne on Friday following a seven-week suspension after the results of an investigation into allegations of domestic violence were inconclusive.
Browne was suspended July 9 after his wife, Jenna Renee Webb, posted pictures to her Instragram account showing marks and bruises on her arms, neck and face that she said were the result of a beating from her 6-foot-7 husband. The UFC immediately suspended Browne and barred him from all International Fight Week activities he was scheduled for at the time the incident became public.
The UFC hired the highly regarded Las Vegas law firm of Campbell & Williams to investigate. Donald Campbell, the firm’s partner, hired an FBI agent with more than 25 years of experience to head the investigation. On Friday, the UFC reinstated Browne after the results were deemed inconclusive:
From the UFC’s statement announcing Browne’s suspension had ended:
UFC announced today that an investigation into allegations of domestic violence against heavyweight Travis Browne is now complete. Conducted by a former FBI agent with more than 25 years of experience, the seven-week investigation included interviews with multiple subjects associated with the principals, as well as the principals themselves. The investigation found inconclusive evidence to support claims of alleged domestic violence involving Browne and inconclusive evidence that Browne had violated the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy.
This certainly doesn’t clear Browne fully, as he wasn’t found innocent of the charges. And he may have to deal with the issue for a long time to come. Webb took to social media earlier this week and alleged that UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is dating her husband.
Webb said she plans to pursue charges against Browne in light of the results of the UFC’s investigation.
Kudos, though, to the UFC for being far more open and candid about the details of its investigation into Webb’s allegations against Browne. The company, responding to complaints regarding its investigation into a situation involving light heavyweight Anthony Johnson, gave a far more complete overview of what occurred than it had ever done before.
In the statement, it noted:
Upon learning of the posting of photographs on social media on or about July 8, 2015 by an individual reflecting bruises on their person and corresponding commentary that Travis Browne had committed the acts resulting in the bruising, UFC, through the Las Vegas-based law firm Campbell & Williams, began efforts to retain a third party to conduct a thorough, independent investigation into this matter. In mid-July, Campbell & Williams retained a private investigator with more than 25 years of experience as a Supervisory Special Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation operating out of the Los Angeles Field Office and as a Special Inspector General for the United States of America. The investigator has overseen countless investigations involving thousands of witnesses and subject interviews.
That responded to complaints that it wasn’t forthcoming enough about how it was looking into alleged misconduct by its fighters. Campbell is one of the most highly regarded attorneys in Las Vegas and knowing that a firm with its reputation handled the investigation gives it more weight.
The UFC also summarized the findings in a way that gave fans a better sense of how seriously it looked into the matter:
As part of his nearly two-month investigation into the Browne matter, the investigator and his colleagues interviewed nearly a dozen individuals located in several states. The interviewees included the principals of the investigation, former spouses, individuals with close personal relationships and health-care professionals. Additionally, the investigator obtained various forms of electronic data reflecting interactions of the principals with each other and third parties. The investigation also included electronic and hand searches for relevant civil and criminal records, law enforcement service-call records and the like.
Based on the abundant evidence gathered to date, the results of the investigation are inconclusive to support the claims of alleged domestic violence involving Browne. Similarly, the evidence was inconclusive to support a finding that Browne had violated the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy. The evidence gathered in the investigation has also been reviewed by Donald J. Campbell, Esq. of Campbell & Williams, a former state and federal prosecutor with extensive experience overseeing criminal investigations, who likewise concurs that the results of the investigation are inconclusive.
Good for the UFC for acting so swiftly to correct a glaring problem.
