David Sullivan has resigned as joint-chairman and director of West Ham United with immediate effect, after a joint investigation by BBC Panorama and the Times newspaper into allegations about his personal conduct.
The 77-year-old former pornography baron, who made his fortune in the adult industry before founding the Sport newspapers, said he was stepping down to apply his “full energy and attention” to fighting what he called “false allegations”. The programme is scheduled to air on Monday, June 8, at 8pm on BBC One, running for 30 minutes.
“David Sullivan steps down as West Ham joint-chair after BBC Panorama and Times investigation into his personal conduct.”
In a statement on Saturday, Sullivan said: “I categorically deny these claims. The decades-old allegations concerning my personal life are factually incorrect and entirely false.” He added that he intended to sue the BBC for libel “along with any other media outlet that repeats any libellous allegations”.
“After a lifetime spent building businesses in the adult industry, in which I have met thousands of women, it is sadly inevitable that a small number of improper conduct claims are being made against me,” Sullivan said. He described himself as a “private man” and insisted: “I am absolutely not the person the media has decided to paint me as. I have not been provided with any proper explanation as to how these individuals or their claims were independently verified or assessed for credibility prior to publication. I believe that the entire process has been fundamentally unfair and completely lacking in any due impartiality.”
Sullivan, who has been West Ham’s largest single shareholder since the death of his business partner David Gold in January 2023, said none of the allegations related to his “more than 30 years in football”. The club was relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2025-26 season after finishing 18th.
“At what is already a challenging and important time for the club, I refuse to allow personal matters concerning me to become an unnecessary distraction or a source of instability,” Sullivan said. “Therefore, after very careful consideration and with a heavy heart, I have decided to resign. This has been an incredibly painful decision to make, but it is one made out of love, respect, and responsibility toward a football club and a fanbase that deserve absolute unity.”
West Ham said in a club statement that Sullivan had denied any “illegal conduct” and was leaving “in order to avoid disruption to the club while he addresses the matter privately”. The club added that none of the allegations related to West Ham United or its operations. Interim chief executive officer Karim Virani will continue to lead day-to-day operations, reporting to the current board. An update on the future structure of the board will be provided in due course.
Sullivan and Gold became joint chairmen when they completed their takeover in January 2010. They oversaw the club’s move from Upton Park to London Stadium in 2016 and the Conference League win in 2023 – the Hammers’ first major trophy since the 1980 FA Cup. The club’s best Premier League finish under their tenure was sixth in 2021, but West Ham have finished in the bottom half in three of the past four seasons.
The Panorama episode will be available on BBC iPlayer for on-demand streaming shortly after 8.30pm, and will also be shown in the United States on BritBox.