Share

Tweet slur costs Rice sponsor

Melbourne - Australia's triple Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice was stripped of her sponsorship deal with luxury carmaker Jaguar Tuesday after she posted a homophobic remark on Twitter.


The swimmer landed herself in controversy after tweeting "Suck on that faggots!" in triumph at Australia's narrow win over South Africa in the Tri-Nations on Saturday.

Openly gay former rugby league international Ian Roberts led condemnation of the remark, which Rice has since removed and apologised for, calling her and anyone who supported her an "idiot".

Jaguar on Tuesday announced it had scrapped its sponsorship deal with the 22-year-old and said she would have to give back her XF sports car, worth more than A$100 000 Australian.

"We have terminated our agreement with her," Jaguar spokesperson Mark Eedle confirmed.

"The terms of the agreement remain confidential ... Suffice to say she's obviously been driving one of our cars and that benefit will no longer happen."

Eedle said Jaguar wished to distance itself from the Twitter comment. "It's to do with how we want to associate our brand and unfortunately this... is not an association we want to have going forward," he said.

But gay Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham, a gold medallist at the 2008 Beijing Games, came to Rice's defence on the microblogging site.

"It was offensive and very thoughtless, but being friends with her for two years, I know she is not homophobic," Mitcham wrote.

"She meant no malice, and she has apologised for her careless comment posted in the excitement of the moment."

Rice, who was forced out of the upcoming Commonwealth Games with a shoulder injury last month, has been romantically linked to Wallaby flyhalf Quade Cooper.

Stephanie Rice alongside her former Jaguar (File)

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
68% - 1576 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
32% - 731 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE