The implications of the sexual assault judgement against Conor McGregor are growing. A number of retail giants from the United Kingdom and Ireland have revealed that they are ceasing the sale of any product associated with the ex-UFC dual-division victor following the ruling by a Dublin court that deemed McGregor responsible for a sexual assault on Nikita Hand.
Musgrave, a retail consortium which encompasses UK and Irish brands such as SuperValu, Centra, Daybreak and Mace, among several others, issued an advisory note to their store managers to remove all brands linked with McGregor from their listings. This action involves shedding of products like the widely recognized Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey and Forged Irish Stout drinks that bear McGregor’s name.
The retail behemoth Tesco, along with Costcutter and Carry Out, also showcased firm solidarity in this move by discontinuing the sales of all McGregor-associated commodities. These developments serve as stark reminders of how personal conduct can affect a public figure’s business engagements.
Adding on to the string of reactions to this verdict, the team at Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey released a statement denouncing the intent of associating their brand with McGregor’s name or image henceforth. The change in marketing strategy is indicative of the fallout from the court ruling.
McGregor was held as accountable for sexually assaulting Hand at a Dublin hotel in the year 2018. Post the ruling, the court ordered McGregor to pay Hand a compensation sum of €248,603.60 ($261,246.63), addressing the severity of the situation.
In response to these events, Cliona Saidlear, acting as the executive director of Rape Crisis Center Ireland, appealed to the public to halt their patronage towards McGregor’s alcohol brands. This call for a boycott echoes the gravity of the situation, fostering a significant response from the public.
Dublin’s city center became the scene of a march expressing solidarity with Hand, painting a poignant picture of the public support for the victim amidst such a high-profile case. These shows of unity mark the society’s shared stance against such transgressions.
Despite the controversies swirling around him, McGregor’s athletic career has remained in the public eye. His last contest in the UFC was a match in July 2021 where he was defeated by Dustin Poirier, suffering an injurious broken leg in the process.
In this time of speculation and doubt, the UFC as an organization has maintained a stealthy silence, refraining from any comment on McGregor’s legal proceedings. As the world waits for the next developments, the repercussions of the verdict continue to ripple across various sectors.