HBO Chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht apologized in a memo to HBO staff Tuesday for the incident that landed him in a Las Vegas jail over the weekend and is taking a temporary leave of absence.
COO Bill Nelson will assume Mr. Albrecht’s duties in the interim.
Mr. Albrecht spent several hours in jail over the weekend after Las Vegas police arrested him for alleged misdemeanor battery and domestic assault after an altercation with his girlfriend outside the MGM Grand casino. The HBO chief was at the MGM to attend the boxing match between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr., which HBO aired on pay per view.
Time Warner and HBO executives had refrained from commenting as they studied the matter and gathered facts of the incident.
“We take these matters very seriously and will monitor this situation closely,” said Time Warner Chairman and CEO Richard D. Parsons, in a statement.
The memo from Mr. Albrecht to HBO employees follows:
My colleagues and friends:
I am deeply sorry for what occured in Las Vegas this weekend and for any embarrasment it caused my family, the company I love, and myself.
While I am not at liberty to discuss the incident as the district attorney and my lawyer are still determining the facts, it is my hope to do so in the near future.
This weekend was a wake up call to me of a weakness I thought I had overcome long ago. I had been a sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous for thirteen years. Two years ago, I decided that I could handle drinking again. Clearly, I was wrong. Given that truth, I have committed myself to sobriety. I intend to take a temporary leave of absence from HBO effective today, in order to go back to working with AA.
Leading this company is a great privilege and I pray that I can continue to do so in a manner that brings honor and pride to this remarkable organization and its remarkable people. Thank you for your understanding during these difficult hours, I will not let you down again.
(Editor: Romanelli)