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Indian Wells CEO resigns after sexist comments

Indian Wells chief Raymond Moore resigns after coming under heavy fire for saying women's players "ride on the coat-tails of the men" (AFP Photo/Robyn Beck)
Indian Wells chief Raymond Moore resigns after coming under heavy fire for saying women's players "ride on the coat-tails of the men" (AFP Photo/Robyn Beck)

One day after making controversial, sexist comments demeaning women's tennis, Indian Wells CEO and tournament director Raymond Moore has resigned.

Sunday morning prior to the finale of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Moore offered his opinion on the Women's Tennis Association: "In my next life when I come back I want to be someone in the WTA," Moore said, "because they ride on the coattails of the men. 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 Rafa Nadal were born, because they have carried this sport. They really have."

Shockingly, the comments didn't go over well, either with the public at large or tennis players. Serena Williams spoke of the sacrifice of players like Billie Jean King: "I feel like that is such a disservice to her and every female, not only a female athlete but every woman on this planet that has ever tried to stand up for what they believed in and being proud to be a woman."

Moore offered an apology soon afterward, but the damage was done, the writing on the wall, et cetera. On Monday night, he announced his intention to resign. Moore, 69, had worked at Indian Wells in various capacities for 29 years. A native of South Africa, he was a professional tennis player himself in his earlier days.

"Ray let me know that he has decided to step down from his roles as CEO and Tournament Director, effective immediately," Larry Ellison said in a statement. "I fully understand his decision ... 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. All of us here at the BNP Paribas Open promise to continue working with everyone to make tennis a better sport for everybody." Ellison noted that Indian Wells, along with all other major tennis tournaments, has paid equal purses to men and women for a decade.

"Raymond Moore has taken full responsibility for the unacceptable comments he has made," WTA CEO Steve Simon said in a statement. "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."

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.