The owner of Guinness has cancelled its sponsorship deal with a leading rugby union club after it signed a player who was accused, then acquitted, of rape.
Diageo, which had already publicly criticised the signing of Paddy Jackson by London Irish, announced its decision on Thursday evening.
“We have met with the club to express our concerns. Their recent decision is not consistent with our values and so we have ended our sponsorship,” a spokeswoman for the drinks company said.
Jackson was given a contract by the English club in May, as it prepared for a return to the Premiership. He had been playing for the French club, Perpignan, after his deals with the Ulster and Irish rugby football unions were terminated following his trial.
At the close of a trial at Belfast crown court in March last year, Jackson, his former teammate Stuart Olding and two of their friends were found not guilty of a series of sexual offences in relation to a party in Belfast in 2016.
Lurid details of messages exchanged between them – some of which were pornographic and referred to women in derogatory terms – were revealed during their trial. Vocal protests by women’s rights activists followed, putting the organisations under intense pressure.
The issue led to public debates in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic over misogyny in the sport and whether or not the men should be able to resume their careers with their province and national sides.
After a review of the players’ conduct, the Irish Rugby Football Union and Ulster Rugby released a joint statement saying their commitment to “respect, inclusivity and integrity” had forced them to act.
On Thursday, a London Irish spokesman said the club’s management was “understandably disappointed” by Diageo’s decision – “particularly the manner in which the company has chosen” not to renew its sponsorship deal.
“The club has always respected the right for everyone to have an opinion, and their right to express that opinion. London Irish has been open and honest with all of its sponsors, including offering to meet Diageo’s senior management in Dublin in May, 2019. This offer was not taken up.
“London Irish will be moving on without the support of Diageo, who have chosen to stand down after a nearly 30-year association with the club. It is regretful that this relationship has ended in the manner that it has.”
