Demons probe sponsor Ben Polis's racist rants

[M_9 2,123]

Great - this is all we need.

HUN article which I guess only subscribers get to view.

'THE racism crisis engulfing the Melbourne Football Club deepened after its major sponsor (Ben Polis - Energywatch CEO) admitted to making a series of slurs against Aborigines, Asians, women and Prime Minister Julia Gillard. '

You'd think that we may have to cut loose one of our few major sponsors.

[Trisul 674]

Wow. The FUD just gets more and more obvious. AD, you have a nerve.

[s-t-i-n-g-a 439]

I don't think one could script a worse start to 2012?

Jurrah, no FOJ sponsor, Jim, a big loss to the Lions, racism row and now this...can't catch a break.

The club will need its supporters now more than ever!

[Satan 2,915]

I wonder if the contract with the sponsor i wont name has a clause about bringing the name in disrepute for breaking the contract and if its vice versa too?

Is someone who has had a negative situation with club been leaking stories?

Edited April 4, 2012 by Satan

[Footynut 302]

I don't think one could script a worse start to 2012?

Jurrah, no FOJ sponsor, Jim, a big loss to the Lions, racism row and now this...can't catch a break.

The club will need its supporters now more than ever!

Don't forget Sylvia's car crash kicked it all off....

This is a disaster...

God we need a win and I can't see it happening..

[Footynut 302]

Surely Energy Watch board should sack the CEO and make a statement.

That would put usin the clear....

[Face Your Demons 175]

I don't like this sponsor and never did. Something very fishy about Energy Watch as a company.

[Swooper 266]

Might need Debt Demolition in another guise to cover the $2m shortfall?! $100/head for 20,000 members.

Horrible comments. The world goes crazy with political correctness these days, but that is serious. Will be very interested to see what plays out and how the board handles it. High performance and HIGH INTEGRITY put to the test!!

[Sir Why You Little 37,308]

Is the MFC going to survive all this?

This CEO is a totally disgraceful person.

Wake me up when this bad dream is finally over.

[Footynut 302]

Agree after reading the full article we need a new sponsor. In fact the contract should be paid out to the club and sponsor dropped completely.

[Swooper 266]

I don't like this sponsor and never did. Something very fishy about Energy Watch as a company.

Agree. Have just read the whole article and those comments are a disgrace. Gotta go. The thing is, he IS Energy Watch. Wonder how his business will be know. A real [censored].

[Forest Demon 4,681]

Not as if he just made an innocent slip of the tongue...that is a series of disgusting comments from a complete nutcase. As someone else said, never had a good feeling about this sponsor from day one, call it the Tom Scully of sponsorships.

[DemonDing 56]

on the bright side least if the players stuff up the sponsor not going too care........

[andyc3068 3]

Just what the club needed. Unbelievable. Reach as sponsor front and back this round. Hope there is some kind of disrepute clause.

[Robbie57 2,026]

Disgraceful.

[Good Times Grimes 2,396]

How perfect. Fairytale start to 2012.

[Bates Mate 4,511]

Disgusting I know it puts us in a disastrous position financially but we need to cut this sponsor loose

[Choko 493]

Sounds like a class bloke, this Polis. I have a feeling he is Energy Watch, as in the company couldn't sack him and replace him. It is the risk of these types of sponsors, as distinct from a blue chip type sponsor.

That being the case, I can't see how our Board could do nothing. I reckon The Board's choices are to try to demand some sort of counselling plus cease and desist plus denouncement of the awful and derogatory language, or dismiss the sponsor. There is almost zero chance the terms if our sponsorship would allow us to keep the money but discontinue performance of the sponsorship obligations.

I really feel for the club and Board, who have had this thrust upon them in addition to everything else. I would question the due diligence done on Energy Watch and Polis before entering into agreement, because it doesn't sound like it would have been too hard to find out about this guy's values.

The biggest loser out of this may yet be Cameron Schwab. Not saying it should be, just crystal ball gazing.

Edited April 4, 2012 by Choko

[7-UP 107]

I think the right action is to part ways with energy watch?

But how is this going to affect Melbourne Football Club financially

[Webber 10,586]

The media driven events of the last 2 months in relation to the MFC have effectively cast us as public relations poison, and a poison that doesn't just make you ill, it f***ing kills you. Cam Schwab somehow needs to make this sponsorship stick and have us come out from it ok, because NO potential sponsor would even want to be seen in the same room as the MFC. This is the perceived public image of our club. We all know it's peripheral rubbish, but the power of the media to kill or anoint is absolute, and they are killing this club.

[Gouga 570]

I really feel for the club and Board, who have had this thrust upon them in addition to everything else. I would question the due diligence done on Energy Watch and Polis before entering into agreement, because it doesn't sound like it would have been too hard to find out about this guy's values.

The biggest loser out of this may yet be Cameron Schwab. Not saying it should be, just crystal ball gazing.

We must act to remove this sponsor. As a member I will not tolerate these disgraceful comments. I would much rather hand over my own money then play with that company's logo on our back.

Re: feeling sorry for the Board and the Executive at our club - yes I feel sorry for them because they have been hit at all angles - having said that, as this is a one man company, and I fear we have not done our due diligence on him.

Edited April 4, 2012 by Gouga

[Choko 493]

We must act to remove this sponsor. As a member I will not tolerate these disgraceful comments. I would much rather hand over my own money then play with that company's logo on our back.

Re: feeling sorry for the Board and the Executive at our club - yes I feel sorry for them because they have been hit at all angles - having said that, as this is a one man company, and I fear we have not done our due diligence on him.

Whilst I'm not saying we shouldn't ditch the sponsor, with all respect, you and others are totally underestimating the problem we have if we react in that way. Business is not utopia, and you sometimes have to play the cards you're dealt. This sponsor is not us, and we are not it. Yes, there is an association between us and EnergyWatch, but there is no point being too hysterical as if the club itself has done something.

If you have $2M/year to give to the MFC, then I agree, you could buy us out of this mess. If not, then we have to accept that any action against a sponsor will likely require an AFL handout. Any handout buys silence with the AFL. How does that go against the comments in the other racism thread about standing on our own feet?

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

There was always something slimy about EnergyWatch, the amount of money spent on advertising and team sponsorships just didn't add up.

But what annoys me is that if Melbourne do cut them loose, they get exactly what they want - a whole lot of publicity without the price tag of paying the club. Clearly all publicity for them is good publicity.

[Dr. Gonzo 24,444]

FMD what the hell? Is there no end to this clubs woes? This guy Polis what an absolute moron. How could you make comments like those and not think it's going to affect your reputation as a businessman? Idiot of the highest order.

This club is in deep crap and all the work done by Jimmy & the MFC over the last 3 years could be undone. Losing $2m/year is no loose change particularly when we STILL have no other major sponsor to fall back on. I have serious concerns for the ongoing viability of this club if we lose Energy Watch's money and cannot sign a second major sponsor. It's beginning to feel like 2008 all over again.

[waikikkamukau 62]

When it rains it pours.......!

No doubt something else will be dragged up probably after our first win, just to put us back in our place.

CS has said that there are some good sponsorship deals in the pipeline so its time to activate them and cut this peanut loose.

Go Dees!