A spokesperson for Steffi Graf criticized GM-subsidiary
Opel's decision to end its sponsorship deal with the tennis star,
and said the carmaker acted on "rumors rather than hard fact."
This morning's HOUSTON CHRONICLE reports that Graf's lawyer,
Peter Danckert, said Opel's decision "damaged Steffi," and that
sponsors will "flock" back to Graf when German tax authorities
end their investigation (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/18). Adidas,
another Graf sponsor, affirmed its contract with her but would
not comment further. Hamburg-based Elida Gibbs, a deodorant
maker whom Graf represents, also stood by the tennis star. Elida
Gibbs spokesperson Manfred Gotthard said his company sees Graf
"not as a criminal but as a victim" (AP/Minneapolis STAR-TRIBUNE,
10/18). The current edition of NEWSWEEK profiles Graf's
struggles with German tax authorities, noting the case has
"riveted Germany. ... It divides those who stand by a woman who
may be the country's most beloved athlete from the growing
numbers of citizens infuriated by Germany's confiscatory rates of
taxation -- and the schemes the rich and powerful use to avoid
them" (NEWSWEEK, 10/23 issue).
