Telstra threatened to tear up $15m NRL contract over player behaviour

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Telstra threatened to tear up $15m NRL contract over player behaviour

Post by Beaussie »

Gees, big sponsorship deals and dollars at risk.

Meanwhile De Berlin and his football club intend on him returning to the field immediately if a favourable decision comes from the Federal Court. Should that be the case, the NRL is indicating they will consider an appeal.

Did someone say “trainwreck” :shock:
Telstra threatened to tear up $15m NRL contract over player behaviour

By Adrian Proszenko
May 2, 2019

Telstra sensationally threatened to walk away from its $15 million naming-rights sponsorship of the NRL if the governing body didn’t take a strong stance on player behaviour.

ImageSummer of woe: the Jack de Belin case was one of several which prompted Telstra to consider pulling its sponsorship of the NRL. CREDIT:AAP


The NRL implemented its “no fault” stand-down policy, the legitimacy of which is being tested in the Federal Court, in February for players charged with serious criminal offences. The new protocols were brought in to help allay sponsor concerns about off-field incidents which had damaged the game and their own brands by association.

Rugby League Central is currently attempting to renew eight sponsorship contracts, worth a combined $12 million, that will expire at the end of the season. Many of those firms expressed concerns about renewing due to a spate of incidents that prompted NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg to label the off season a “trainwreck”.

The Herald can reveal the game’s biggest backer, Telstra, threatened to tear up its contract due to the damage the dramas were causing its brand. Telstra had signed on as the competition naming-rights partner until the end of the current broadcast deal, which expires after the 2022 season. The telecommunications giant is also a digital partner of the NRL in a lucrative deal understood to be worth about $20 million.

Rugby league’s so-called ‘summer of hell’ put intense pressure on the relationship between the parties, with Telstra executives threatening to pull the plug if the NRL didn’t take strong action.

The NRL did that with a new policy, under which any player any charged with an offence that carries a maximum prison term of 11 years or more will be automatically stood down. Greenberg also has the discretionary power to stand down players charged with offences below that threshold. To date, St George Illawarra forward Jack de Belin has been automatically suspended, while Greenberg has used his discretion to ban Penrith playmaker Tyrone May and Manly centre Dylan Walker.

De Belin is challenging the validity of the new protocols, which were the subject of a four-day Federal Court hearing last month. Justice Melissa Perry is expected to deliver her finding in coming days.

It's understood the NRL's new protocols placated nervous Telstra executives. Asked whether the firm considered severing ties, a Telstra spokeperson said: "The individual cases are a matter for the courts and the policy changes announced at the beginning of the season were welcomed."

Speaking at the NRL’s season launch, Telstra’s executive director of marketing, Jeremy Nicholas, lauded the league’s new policy. In a statement issued to the Herald shortly afterwards, Nicholas said: “The policy changes announced last week are a huge step in the right direction and we congratulate the NRL on their strong stance, reflecting community standards and moving closer to the values that Telstra upholds.

“We have full confidence in the NRL and the commission to effect real, positive cultural change within the game.”

In affidavits tendered in the de Belin Federal Court case, Greenberg feared incidents such as the NSW forward’s sexual assault case could cost the game "hundreds of millions of dollars" in fees paid by broadcasters to televise the competition. The present five-year television deal is worth $1.8 billion and expires in 2022. Negotiations for the next rights deal are likely to ramp up from next season and the incumbent partners, Nine and Foxtel, had expressed concerns about a ratings dip due to the off-field dramas.

“A downturn in ratings will ultimately lead to lowering of the value of the broadcast rights, which given the length of the broadcast contracts has the potential to cause losses to the NRL in the hundreds of millions of dollars,” Greenberg stated in his affidavit.

De Belin, currently training with his teammates on full pay, will make an immediate return to the field if he receives a favourable outcome from the Federal Court. Should that be the case, the Australian Rugby League Commission will consider an appeal, a move that will further prolong the saga.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/telstr ... 51jhb.html
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Re: Telstra threatened to tear up $15m NRL contract over player behaviour

Post by Terry »

Geeee's, what this proves is that Gilty's hush money policy is pure genius. It may be dishonest, immoral & obscene but ya gotta say it damn well works. In the world of AFL lying is good. Cover-ups are standard, morals are optional.

Well done beatup for being the chief pom pom wearing cheer squad leader of the cesspit of Australian sport. yay gilty......yay hush money.......no one tells.....no one knows......you bewdy!!!!!!!!
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Re: Telstra threatened to tear up $15m NRL contract over player behaviour

Post by notaleaguefan »

Something that happened once 10 odd years ago and some hownit always happens!

Endless series of of events, drug smuggling, physical, sexual abuse, playing with animals, kicked out of bars and venues individuals and teams, racism extortion..etc endless incidents

Sponsors have had enough and fleeting the abortion of a code known as league!

And terry’s eyes the AFL has the problems :(/
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Re: Telstra threatened to tear up $15m NRL contract over player behaviour

Post by Terry »

Nrlolol wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 12:40 pm
Something that happened once 10 odd years ago and some hownit always happens!

Endless series of of events, drug smuggling, physical, sexual abuse, playing with animals, kicked out of bars and venues individuals and teams, racism extortion..etc endless incidents

Sponsors have had enough and fleeting the abortion of a code known as league!

And terry’s eyes the AFL has the problems :(/
Has anyone told you you're an idiot lately? Idiot!!!!!!!!
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Re: Telstra threatened to tear up $15m NRL contract over player behaviour

Post by notaleaguefan »

Terry wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 2:10 pm
Nrlolol wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 12:40 pm
Something that happened once 10 odd years ago and some hownit always happens!

Endless series of of events, drug smuggling, physical, sexual abuse, playing with animals, kicked out of bars and venues individuals and teams, racism extortion..etc endless incidents

Sponsors have had enough and fleeting the abortion of a code known as league!

And terry’s eyes the AFL has the problems :(/
Has anyone told you you're an idiot lately? Idiot!!!!!!!!
Sponsors are fleeing the the sinking ship! And all you see is the afl has problems and conspiracies to match!

:))) :cheers:
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Re: Telstra threatened to tear up $15m NRL contract over player behaviour

Post by Terry »

Nrlolol wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 3:20 pm
Terry wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 2:10 pm
Nrlolol wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 12:40 pm
Something that happened once 10 odd years ago and some hownit always happens!

Endless series of of events, drug smuggling, physical, sexual abuse, playing with animals, kicked out of bars and venues individuals and teams, racism extortion..etc endless incidents

Sponsors have had enough and fleeting the abortion of a code known as league!

And terry’s eyes the AFL has the problems :(/
Has anyone told you you're an idiot lately? Idiot!!!!!!!!
Sponsors are fleeing the the sinking ship! And all you see is the afl has problems and conspiracies to match!

:))) :cheers:
All I see is that you're an IDIOT!!!!!!!
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Re: Telstra threatened to tear up $15m NRL contract over player behaviour

Post by AFLcrap1 »

So how did this go ..
Are Telstra still on board?
Yep
Fail thread .

& we already had a thread about player behaviour & sponsorship .
Try to keep it on one Thread hey Bea .
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Re: Telstra threatened to tear up $15m NRL contract over player behaviour

Post by notaleaguefan »

AFLcrap1 wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 5:38 pm
So how did this go ..
Are Telstra still on board?
Yep
Fail thread .

& we already had a thread about player behaviour & sponsorship .
Try to keep it on one Thread hey Bea .
Threatened! Your on warning! Have the players or officials improve the behaviour and clean up the pathetic image of the game!

Otherwise Telstra will head the way of several other sponsors! :(/
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Re: Telstra threatened to tear up $15m NRL contract over player behaviour

Post by notaleaguefan »

Terry wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 3:46 pm
Nrlolol wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 3:20 pm
Terry wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 2:10 pm


Has anyone told you you're an idiot lately? Idiot!!!!!!!!
Sponsors are fleeing the the sinking ship! And all you see is the afl has problems and conspiracies to match!

:))) :cheers:
All I see is that you're an IDIOT!!!!!!!
Sponsors fleeing and your in denial over the image of the nrlol & think the afl has the problems :(/
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