National Rugby League player Ben Barba's "off-field drama may result in another hit to the hip pocket, as global brand Nike considers ending its association with the troubled star," according to Proszenko & Broughton of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD.
Barba's career "is again at the crossroads after a positive test to cocaine, his second strike for a recreational drug." The former Dally M medalist "is booked into a Thai rehab facility after copping a 12-match NRL ban." At Barba's request, the Sharks have released him "from the final year of his contract," reportedly worth up to A$800,000 ($602,000). But the latest drama "may cost him even more." Nike has been a long-term sponsor but is now "considering tearing up his contract."
A Nike spokesperson said, "With any situation like this, we will review [the association] once we have reviewed all of the information from the NRL and the situation itself. Currently we're looking into more information around what's happened. We haven't made any decisions."
It is not the first time Barba's off-field issues "have limited his earnings." He was "poised to become the first rugby league player to become an ambassador for Red Bull" after his breakout Dally M season. Negotiations were well advanced for him to join a select group of Australian athletes, but they "were terminated after his personal life began to spiral out of control while at Canterbury" (SMH, 11/12).
IT AIN'T OVER YET: In Sydney, Danny Weidler reported NRL CEO Todd Greenberg made contact with the partner of Barba "to check on her welfare at what has been a highly stressful time for the family" -- and he has assured her that Barba's NRL career "is not over." Greenberg: "I'm disappointed, and there are big consequences. But we are dealing with families and human beings. His poor decision in this instance doesn't mean he is gone from the game. People need to understand that we have all grown up differently and Ben has made a number of poor decisions in his life. A lot of people see Ben Barba as a footballer with a No. 1 on his back. I see him as a father with four little girls to support and he has to get his life right" (SMH, 11/12).
