U.S. Congressman questions Dana White’s Power Slap, sends letter to Warner Bros. CEO: ‘Traumatic brain injury isn’t entertainment’

One of the most controversial stories in combat sports this year has been the creation of Dana White’s Power Slap league and its continued promotion by the UFC. And now the United States Congress is intervening.

New Jersey Ninth District Representative Bill Paskrell Jr. said Wednesday that he and Nebraska’s Second District Representative Don Bacon contacted TBS and Warner Bros. Discovery to discuss their participation in Power Slap, denouncing the program’s “senseless violence”.

Paskrell included in his post their letter to David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, and Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, pointing out his Power Slap issues. Congressmen said the new league is “profiting from violent behavior and sinister drama masquerading as sportsmanship for profit” and noted that members are “offered a meager $2,000” for “threatening their mental and physical health.”

They also noted the apparent lack of security protocols associated with the events and asked Zaslav to answer questions regarding disclaimers, long-term medical care, and disclosure to participants of inherent security risks.

Paskrell is one of the oldest active members of Congress, having taken office in 1997, and currently serves on the Committee on Ways and Means as chairman of the oversight subcommittee. During his time in Congress, Pascrell has been outspoken on brain health issues, co-founding the Congressional Task Force on Brain Injuries in 2001, which he says “works to raise awareness of brain injuries in the United States.” Web site.

In 2008, Pascrell introduced the Concussion Treatment and Care Instruments Act, which was approved by the NFL and NFLPA as a means of creating guidelines for enforcing concussion protocols in middle and high schools. In 2013, he introduced the Brain Injury Reauthorization Act of 2013, again with the goal of combating traumatic brain injury.

You can read the letter in full below.

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White recently defended his new league against health and safety criticism in an interview. The Jim Rome Show.

“First of all, there is no one better than me in terms of health and safety,” White said.

“Even if you can defend yourself, guys in boxing get 400 to 600 hits in a fight. These guys get three slaps or less during the event. … So you’re talking about the wrong sport.”