Venator Fighting Championship president Frank Merenda is standing by the organization's recent acquisition, former UFC fighter and reality TV star Jason "Mayhem" Miller.
The 35-year-old Miller has a history of bizarre behavior and run-ins with the law, most recently being arrested for suspicion of DUI in Irvine, Calif.
Merenda decided to respond to the backlash against Miller with a statement released on Friday:
Attention, all PR reps, you can stop writing press releases now. @VenatorFC will be handling them all from now on. pic.twitter.com/q64tT5zfwa
— John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) February 12, 2016
The statement addresses Miller's legal problems and a strange video in which he seems to confuse upcoming opponent Luke Barnatt with current UFC heavyweight Josh Barnett.
Merenda accused MMA media members of being hypocrites, sarcastically referring to them as "'saints' journalists" and passing off Miller's offbeat antics as those of a "born actor" who is only playing a "mental devastated" character.
"Jason Miller is not a saint. We do not defend what he has done wrong in the past," Merenda wrote. "But we are happy and honored to give him the chance he deserves to show how the MMA can be a vehicle for the rebirth of a person.
"For all who would like to see him alone and abandoned by everyone, I only have one word for you: be ashamed of yourself."