TAC stays true to Pies and its goals
19 May 2006 Herald Sun
Comment by Mike Sheahan
THE choices for the TAC were simple: bow to precedent and dump Collingwood, or make a practical, positive decision.
Fortunately, it took the tougher course, a choice that may be embarrassing temporarily, yet one that will benefit the community in the long term.
As Irish as it sounds, the Chad Morrison incident represents a windfall for the Transport Accident Commission.
In the end, it has saved $200,000, or 50 per cent of its 2006 sponsorship, while gaining exposure worth millions of dollars along the way.
Morrison's indiscretion, coupled with his ties with the sporting organisation with the highest profile in the country, brought yet more attention to the TAC's most basic of messages: drink drive, bloody idiot.
TAC communications manager De-Arnne Schmidt put it perfectly in a media release yesterday: "The TAC's primary consideration was the fulfilment of its obligations to the Victorian community – to promote road safety."
Who of us isn't more aware of our responsibilities as drivers, and the dangers of drinking and driving, as a result of the Morrison incident and subsequent debate? Despite the occasional lapse, the AFL competition and its clubs are the perfect vehicle for the TAC.
It is both naive and unreasonable to expect no transgression from 600-odd league footballers, young men of 18-plus.
Given football's place in the community in Victoria and much of Australia, the TAC is guaranteed massive exposure when someone such as Morrison, or Richmond's Jay Schulz and Royce Vardy before him, breaks the law.
The TAC has been criticised for its double standards, dumping Richmond and staying with Collingwood. So, what does it do: bend to the threat of a charge of hypocrisy or retain an arrangement that conveys its message to so many people?
Collingwood has 40,000 members and, according to Eddie McGuire, a couple of hundred million followers. Can there be a more direct route to the community psyche?
Schmidt reiterated the TAC message to a huge audience yesterday when she said: "Drink driving is both dangerous and stupid and Chad was extremely lucky neither that he nor anyone else was killed or harmed as a result of his actions."
Imagine the airplay she would have received had she been talking about a sponsorship arrangement with archery, shooting or wrestling.
Collingwood has been suitably contrite. It fined Morrison $20,000, $19,600 more than he was fined by the police at the time, and it has accepted the equivalent of a $200,000 fine.
Yes, it has saved $800,000 by keeping the sponsorship alive for the remaining two years left of the agreement, but chief executive Greg Swann said yesterday the club knew it was on its last chance.
Nathan Buckley, Michael Malthouse and company deliver the TAC with more impact than Australia's best actors because of their standing in the football community.
It would have been irresponsible of the TAC to turn its back on Collingwood simply to exhibit consistency.
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