Bob Murray, the general manager of Anaheim’s professional ice hockey team has resigned amid an investigation into his conduct. The announcement Wednesday night follows the team's decision to put Murray, who is also the team's executive vice president, on leave.
Early Wednesday Ducks officials said they only recently became aware of accusations of unspecified “improper professional conduct” against Murray, who was the third-longest-tenured general manager in the NHL.
The news of Murray's voluntary resignation also comes with an apology from the the 66-year-old, who said he plans to enroll in an alcohol abuse program.
"I want to apologize to anyone adversely affected by my behavior. I vow to make changes to my life, starting with enrolling in a treatment program," Murray said in a statement shared by the NHL.
"As I step away from the Ducks, I will focus my attention on where it should be: improving my life for the betterment of my family and friends."
In his statement, Murray thanked Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli, and said working for them was one of the highlights of his career. The Samuelis shared their own statement reading in part:
"First and foremost, we apologize on behalf of the organization to anyone affected by misconduct from Bob. We expect every member of our organization to be treated with respect and will not stand for abuse of any kind."
The Samueli's went on to say that while they do not condone Murray's conduct, they fully support his efforts to improve.
The team has retained the law firm Sheppard Mullin to perform an “independent investigation” into the allegations. “Upon recommendations from their initial findings, we have decided to place Bob on administrative leave pending final results,” they said in a statement.
According to unnamed sources interviewed by The Los Angeles Times, Murray was alleged to have created a “hostile workplace atmosphere” by verbally abusing team employees, players, and coaches.
Assistant general manager Jeff Solomon will assume Murray’s duties on an interim basis.
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