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Karren Brady defends her stay at West Ham despite Sullivan ban

Baroness Karren Brady has defended her decision to stay at West Ham, despite knowing about David Sullivan's ban on contacting the women's and youth teams for security reasons, upholding the principle of the "presumption of innocence".

Baroness Karren Brady, West Ham's former vice-president, was aware of the ban on the club's co-owner David Sullivan from contacting the women's and youth teams due to security concerns, but has defended her choice to continue working for him for the past three years. Brady, 57, known for her role on the BBC's "The Apprentice," has worked with Sullivan for nearly four decades, including 16 years as vice-president of West Ham. Responding to an investigation by BBC Panorama and the Times newspaper, which revealed that Sullivan was accused of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour, Brady's lawyers said his tenure at West Ham was based on the "presumption of innocence" and denied it was hypocritical to continue working while claiming to be a champion of women's rights. The lawyers specified that Brady had "no knowledge" of the allegations that emerged in the joint investigation published earlier this week and added that she had not been involved in or witnessed any of the reported incidents. Sullivan has categorically denied all allegations. In correspondence sent to the BBC on Friday evening, Brady's lawyers acknowledged that she had been made aware of the concerns raised by the Football Association about Sullivan when the FA contacted West Ham in July 2023 after receiving a complaint about a historical allegation dating back to the 1980s. Lawyers said that although she was aware of the situation, she was not involved in the decision made by West Ham in conjunction with the local authority and the FA to impose restrictions on Sullivan's access to the club's women's and youth teams. They made it clear that his job was to "ensure that the club's safety structures and procedures are respected and followed". Brady continued to work for the club until April this year, when he suddenly left five games before the end of the season. In the letter, her lawyers said she remained at West Ham because Sullivan always denied the allegation and relied "on the principle of the presumption of innocence" to continue her association with the club. When the BBC asked her if she saw any contradictions between her support for women's rights and working with a man who had been deemed a potential risk to women and children, the lawyers said there was no contradiction. “There is no inconsistency or hypocrisy between our client advocating for the protection of women and compliance with the security investigation process which was managed by the relevant professionals and statutory authorities,” they said. Brady worked with Sullivan for nearly four decades. She worked for his sports newspapers before he appointed the 23-year-old as managing director of Birmingham City after acquiring the club in 1993. After buying West Ham with partners in 2010, Sullivan installed Baroness Brady as vice-chairman and helped her negotiate the club's move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016. Upon her departure, she released a statement saying it had "been a privilege to work alongside the board, the management, the players, the staff and West Ham United fans." Baroness Brady has been a member of the House of Lords since 2014 and has served as assistant to Lord Sugar on 'The Apprentice' for 16 years.

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