Donald J. Vaccaro is stepping down indefinitely as head of TicketNetwork to seek alcohol counseling in the wake of his arrest Monday and a veiled threat Tuesday by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to cancel a state aid package for his company.
“I will be taking an indefinite leave of absence as CEO from TicketNetwork as I resolve this issue,” he said. “TicketNetwork is a great company with wonderful employees and I do not want my personal actions to impact the company’s growth. In my absence, our long-time senior management team is more than ready for the task of running TicketNetwork without me. While I need to work through the legal process first, I hope to publicly discuss this issue more openly in the future. I am seeking personal counseling and treatment for alcohol abuse.”
He was arrested after a charity Oscars party in Hartford after allegedly groping women and directing a racial epithet at a black security guard who intervened. Guests at the party included Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman.
Malloy stopped short of saying he will seek to break the deal, saying he still wants to see the job creation that TicketNetwork is promising. But he was unusually blunt in describing Vaccaro’s behavior at the party.
“His behavior was boorish, and I will assume aspects of the behavior that’s been described makes him look like a jerk,” Malloy said.