Teams Sack Sponsor Over CEO's Facebook Posts
AFL Club, the Melbourne Demons, are walking away from a three year, $4.5 million sponsorship days after the CEO made a series of offensive remarks on Facebook. The Demons cut ties with EnergyWatch on Thursday over racially-charged wall posts published on Facebook by the energy broker's CEO Ben Polis. The team has also severed a sponsorship, worth about $400,000 annually, with Polis' sister company, Freedom SEO.
"It will be a blow (financially), but it's a price we pay for maintaining our integrity,'' Melbourne FC CEO Cameron Schwab said. "We will be looking at legal options for recovery of the amount."
In addition, the Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Rebels have also ended their relationships with EnergyWatch as a sponsor.
