(Image via addisonsportsmedia.com)
Bryan “Back of the Head” Caraway may have just been replaced as the world’s biggest villain to female MMA fighters. After Invicta FC CEO Shannon Knapp posted a Facebook message on Sunday warning the public about a predatory MMA manager who was using lies and intimidation to influence female fighters into signing with him, veteran fighter (and rumored TUF 18 castmember) Tara LaRosa outed him by name — Brett Atchley, president of Addison Sports Management and Media, who manages Zoila Gurgel and Fallon Fox among other clients.
The accusation inspired BloodyElbow’s Brett Brookhouse to do some deep digging about Atchley’s behavior, and if you have the time, you should read his first two reports here and here. In short, Atchley is accused of being a despicable scumbag by a wide range of female MMA fighters who have had the great displeasure of encountering him. Here are the highlights…
– According to LaRosa, Atchley stole sponsorship money from Maurice Smith, and was once caught on tape at a casino stealing money out of the purse of a woman he was dating, who happened to be the mother of one of Ivan Salaverry’s students. These incidents led to a falling out between Atchley and Salaverry. Atchley responded by sending Salaverry some rather impolite text messages, in which he promises to blackball all of the female fighters that train at Salaverry’s gym from competing for Invicta or Strikeforce.
– After LaRosa turned down Atchley’s offer to manage her, due to the fact that she was already managed by Monte Cox, Atchley physically accosted LaRosa twice during the weekend of Invicta 3:
“At Invicta, I was coming down the elevator and into the lobby to go out and cut weight. Everybody was standing around in a group just chatting in the lobby, and I stopped by to say ‘hi’ to everyone. And he grabbed me by the sweater and said ‘What’s this? Where are all your sponsors? How’s that management working out for you?’ and all this rude stuff. And, before I could do anything, Ivan [Salaverry] pulled me away from him. He just looked like an ass, I’m not sure what his intentions were there.”
“Later, when I was flying home, I was flying back to Seattle. I guess Brett was on the same flight as me, I didn’t even realize it. I was walking to my truck and he comes up behind me and beside me, and he grabs my bags, and he tries to carry them or tries to help or whatever. I told him to get away from me and stay away from me, and I pulled my stuff away from him, and he got all belligerent and stupid. I’m sure there’s tape on the Seattle airport security cameras.”
– Jessamyn Duke, a former client of Atchley’s, claims that Atchley was constantly drunk, and once shoved her mother. HER MOTHER, YOU GUYS:
“He actually physically shoved my mom once when they were having an argument. For some reason, he approached my mom when they were in the lobby of the hotel and they started having this argument, and he started telling her that he made me, and I’ve changed and all this stuff. And my mom being…well, my mom, she didn’t take too kindly to that. And she was trying to leave and get out of the way, and he actually shoved her trying to talk to my sister. It was insane and HIGHLY unacceptable to put your hands on a woman like that and move her physically. That was one of my first serious red flags where it was like ‘this is not okay.’”
– Duke also says that Atchley once pulled a Caraway (allegedly) and assaulted one of her opponents before a fight, grabbing and shoving her.
– Duke says that Atchley sexually harassed a close friend of hers.
– According to Duke, Atchley illegally sent Alexis Davis’s confidential UFC contract to Duke, in an effort to dissuade her from trying out for The Ultimate Fighter.
– When Duke tried to cut ties with Atchley, Atchley started sending her bills for “stupid stuff” like the printing costs of her sponsorship banners, and threatened her with a lawsuit after she asked that her name be removed from his website.
– According to two different sources, Atchley once ran up a bar tab for a couple hundred dollars at a hotel bar, ran out without paying, and left a relative of Alexis Davis’s to pick up the tab.
– According to an Invicta and Strikeforce fighter who chose to remain anonymous, Atchley was constantly drunk, shared other fighters’ confidential contract details with her, and lied about how much money other fighters were making.
– According to Sarah Maloy, Atchley made physical advances on her and “implied that he would get me [an Invicta] contract without hiring him as a manager under inappropriate circumstances.”
– Amateur fighter Alyssa Vasquez claims Atchley sent her sexually aggressive text messages, and forced a kiss on her during a creepy encounter at a bar.
Brett Brookhouse promises lots more updates to come, as female fighters continue to speak out against Atchley, who should probably be banned from the sport, if even half of this stuff is true. (It should come as no surprise that Atchley has offered a general denial of all this stuff.) In the meantime, enjoy this incredible quote from Tara LaRosa:
“I’m not afraid of this guy. He’s an idiot…Yeah, he threatens to sue you for slander, defamation of character, libel, whatever. He can go fuck himself. He is not gonna sue shit. I’ve been around for a long ass time. This guy is nobody. He’s not going to ruin my career, and I’m not going to let this guy do the same shit to other people…I’m sorry I didn’t say anything earlier. It’s weird. It’s like some Harry Potter situation. Like everybody’s afraid to say Voldemort’s name. What the hell? He’s Brett Atchley! He’s fuckin’ nobody! What’s he gonna do to you? Cast a spell?“