Tennis racquet brand Head "plans to extend its contract" with Maria Sharapova despite her recent positive drug test admission, according to the BBC. Sharapova already has lost the support of Nike and Tag Heuer, while Porsche has suspended its relationship with her. Head stated, "Maria may have made a mistake, but she has earned the benefit of the doubt and we are extending it to her" (BBC.com, 3/10). The PA notes Head's support "is a significant boost after her announcement on Monday placed her relationship with other sponsors into doubt." The initial signs for Sharapova commercially "did not look good, with major sponsors ... distancing themselves from her." Head's stance "is the most positive news yet" for Sharapova (PA, 3/10). Meanwhile, skincare brand Supergoop! also is standing by Sharapova, who owns a stake in the company. Supergoop! Founder & CEO Holly Thaggard in an email wrote, "We appreciate Maria's candor and will continue to support her as the ITF investigation unfolds" (Daniel Kaplan, Staff Writer).
: USA TODAY's Christine Brennan writes Sharapova "has to be suspended" for at least a "minimum" of six months, which would include the remaining '16 Grand Slam events and the Rio Games. It was "admirable" how Sharapova "got out in front of the story." Sharapova on Monday admitted she did not read emails noting meldonum was being added to the banned list, and Brennan writes, "Everyone can miss an email or two or four, right? But these weren't any old emails. These were the most important emails Sharapova could possibly receive. It's unfathomable that she really ignored them all" (
USA TODAY, 3/10). The AP's Tim Dahlberg writes Sharapova "might get a pass from some for not reading the emails," but the fact she "acknowledged taking it for the last 10 years throws into question the very legitimacy of a career that has made Sharapova very rich." Dahlberg: "That such a big star was the first major casualty of drug testing in tennis isn't just bad for Sharapova and her endorsement income." It is "bad for tennis, which constantly struggles to escape from its niche sport status." The fact is that Sharapova was "using something to help her compete, and only held a press conference to admit it because she had no other choice." If anything, the people who "run tennis were deferential to Sharapova by allowing her to try and control the message herself before they made an official announcement" (
AP, 3/10).
