Demons probe sponsor Ben Polis's racist rants

[Jaded No More 58,887]

Who knew you could sue people for frustrating you. I could have been a millionaire by now!

[H_T 2,941]

I think we have to let EW go.

The guy will remain toxic and Polis is EW.

This isn't the end of the world and unless he was mentioning these views in meetings with Schwab - I hardly think it would be defensible for us to reject $2m because a bloke 'seemed' odd.

We have to move on and search for some new best friends...

Listening to 3AW this morning I think the club will be severing ties with EW. They have to sort out the legalities.

Many here need to take this on board. Calling the club and demanding things and threatening walking away with your $ isn't going to influence, nor help proceedings.

If anything this is when you need to stick fat with the club and back them in to make the prudent decision without the emotional pressure from outside screamers.

We'll get a sponsor soon.

Go Dees !

[rpfc 27,633]

No I'm not, I'm with Bonkers who is a lonely voice of reason amongst the many posturing saints, holy men, do gooders and the self righteous who see no middle ground, no reason, no compromise, no sense.

The bolded part is effing ironic.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,533]

Let's be pragmatic and not throw the baby out with the bath water, if we have a FOJ sponsor waiting in the wings, let's go for it, otherwise stay calm, get an apology and move on.

I think I've worked out who you are. You're the ghost of Neville "Peace in our time" Chamberlain.

[daisycutter 28,681]

Does any kind soul out there have a remedy for Spinning Head Syndrome (SHS). I have an urgent requirement and its driving me crazy. Help!

[Lordweaver 235]

No Tricky, not let it slide, get an apology, a donation to charity and/ or a promise of counselling. Polis could step down, The perception would then be that the instigator has been dealt with and we move on. Do we have another sponsor Tricky waiting in the wings?

[Lordweaver 235]

La Comedia - Apt Name!!

[Sir Why You Little 34,818]

Who knew you could sue people for frustrating you. I could have been a millionaire by now!

Haha!! 41 years of supporting the MFC...i have a case...hello retirement happy hours...

[Cards13 9,117]

Large organisations are not football fans, they won't look at Melbourne and say "good on them for dumping Energywatch. lets give them some of our money". More likely they will be thinking; 1 - We don't want to be associated with this train wreck, it will damage our brand to be associated with that mess, and 2 - Melbourne dumped a sponsor when the skeletons came out of the closest rather than stick by them, all organisations have skeletons and it could happen to us, let’s stay away.

I think Energy watch needs to be dumped, but in no way is this a positive for future sponsorship

.

Large organisations are made up of people with thoughts and feelings, some more thoughtful than others, some more concerned about the bottom line. How many companies have dropped sponsoring clubs becuase skeletons of players?

[Sir Why You Little 34,818]

No Tricky, not let it slide, get an apology, a donation to charity and/ or a promise of counselling. Polis could step down, The perception would then be that the instigator has been dealt with and we move on. Do we have another sponsor Tricky waiting in the wings?

Polis owns the company unless things have changed lately. He won't step down, he may go bust but he won't step down.

[drdrake 3,049]

Don't forget this guy is not only Energy Watch he is also Freedom SEO, if we go down the path of voiding our contract we lose two sponsers.

[hells bells 2,023]

Rebels about to sever ties with EW I hear.

[warren dean 193]

Warren, if your son is disgusted by the comments I'd suggest he must be home schooled..plenty of people use this type of dialogue for banter...unfortunately this guy Polis is a CEO of a major sponsor, not condoning it at all but not too surprised either, I live in the real world. Polis should make a public apology.

I'd say everyone who has posted on this thread is disgusted by his comments and I'd take a guess that the vast majority of them haven't been home-schooled. Just because "plenty of people use this type of dialogue for banter " shouldn't make our disgust any less. I'm glad that my son has responded the way he has; and by the way he attends a government primary school!

[rpfc 27,633]

I think with our association with Stynes we have enough moral credits to overcome this distraction and move on.

This sentence is unfortunate.

The 'middle ground' is not up to us, it is up to Polis - he is the one that has to get on the front foot to save his reputation and our relationship with him.

He doesn't seem to care from the quotes he gave to the Hun.

Unless Polis wants to save himself, we cannot save the relationship.

[BarrassHarrass 25]

Not sure why people are wanting to keep EW. I jsut explained that it's very possible we get the $$$ and flick EW and then have a new sponsor. We actually benefit from flicking them. The case is pretty easy to be honest. You think any Australian court will condone a racist compnay? No way...It's a classic case of frustration. We argue that EW can no longer fulfil its promotional obligations and the brand of the MFC will be tarnished because of the association. We then argue that we expected $X .

We are probably not entitled to full amount of contract, but certainly part of. Unless the club says that it is now too difficult to secure a future sponsor. We can also join AFL to the action. Well EW may wish to.

[Cards13 9,117]

If we walk away will we still get our Electricity at the cheaper rate.

EW does not have "Cheaper" listed on the website... ACCC suit pending.

[deesrule 104]

Sack the sponsor no good can come of remaining with them.

I'd rather see MFC fold than be associated with this guy.

[hardtack 10,129]

It's compromise Mr Hardtack, it's a means by which a win win situation can be engineered out of the situation, you want to reprimand the CEO, you still want the dollars, find some middle ground so we can achieve both outcomes. Emailing the club with alarmist ravings aint gonna help, as I have said before, I'd settle for a serious apology, maybe a generous donation to a charity and keep the 2 mill. I just don't see the point in jumping on my high horse with all the others and demanding an execution, I want the dees to win games of footy primarily. I think with our association with Stynes we have enough moral credits to overcome this distraction and move on.

The problem is that Polis IS EnergyWatch... he is not just the CEO - it is EnergyWatch (Polis Australia P/L).. I have NOT emailed the MFC with regards to this as I trust them to make the correct decision - although I am a bit annoyed that I just spent a bit on a signed St Pat's Day jumper in the auction and have just taken out an additional interstate membership for my youngest son - and as my children are anglo/asian, Polis remaining as a major sponsor does not sit well with me at all.

Apologies are not even worth the paper they are written on, as Polis will only be doing it because he has to, not because he wants to; I am pretty certain you will find the club will cut all ties.

[Demon Stalwart 255]

One would almost think that the Melbourne Football Club is Being set up!

The AFL does not sack Jason Mifsud even after he Slanders Neil and the Club

Aaron Davies placed in a insidious position, as a indeginous leader in our club as far as we know through no fault of his own

Now this comes out about EnergyWatch's Ben Polis

Does anyone else agree with me that the Timing of all of this is just to strange to be by accident ????

One thing I am also unclear of is when these statements where made?? and why they make the light of day now??

One thing I do know is the Media are feeding of this and making comments totally unwarrented like that below '

""The racism crisis engulfing the Melbourne Football Club deepened""

What Crisis For Fs sake this is has all been created by those outside the Club , including the Media the AFL and anyone else that wants a cheap shot!!!

[daisycutter 28,681]

Not sure why people are wanting to keep EW. I jsut explained that it's very possible we get the $$$ and flick EW and then have a new sponsor. We actually benefit from flicking them. The case is pretty easy to be honest. You think any Australian court will condone a racist compnay? No way...It's a classic case of frustration. We argue that EW can no longer fulfil its promotional obligations and the brand of the MFC will be tarnished because of the association. We then argue that we expected $X .

We are probably not entitled to full amount of contract, but certainly part of. Unless the club says that it is now too difficult to secure a future sponsor. We can also join AFL to the action. Well EW may wish to.

Lets see, we spend $2M on legal fees over a prolonged period of time (including appeals) attracting unwanted publicity along the way, then finally we win $1M, upon which EW goes into receivership and we get nothing

Is that how it works? Yeah I know I'm a big cynic. B)

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

Rebels about to sever ties with EW I hear.

Class action to sue EW?

[Tricky 337]

No Tricky, not let it slide, get an apology, a donation to charity and/ or a promise of counselling. Polis could step down, The perception would then be that the instigator has been dealt with and we move on. Do we have another sponsor Tricky waiting in the wings?

Yes, I see you added your middle ground scenario in a later post.

The instigator would not have been dealt with - he is co-owner of EW.

Of course we don't have another sponsor 'waiting in the wings' (for the predictable moments such as these) however, as others have suggested, maintaining an association such as this would do more harm than good.

I think you will find that the other establishments in our predicament will also take this viewpoint.

Some of his crap was directed at our own FFS and you would accept an apology. $ or not, that is weak.

[Lordweaver 235]

I think that might happen too Hardtack, if we have a new sponsor then fine with me.

[daisycutter 28,681]

Deesrule, you need to get off the computer and get outside and into some fresh air.

not in melbourne, you'd need to go up country

[P-man 13,276]

Are we on candid camera?