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Rice let go by Seven last month

The Seven Network has confirmed it opted not to renew a sponsorship deal with swimmer Stephanie Rice last month.

The Seven Network has confirmed it opted not to renew a sponsorship deal with swimmer Stephanie Rice last month.

The report in today’s News Limited newspapers, follows a tumultuous week for Rice following her much-maligned comments on Twitter. Rice was let go by Jaguar following her remarks that drew comment from some sections of the gay community.

Rice’s appearances for Seven have been minimal since she was signed in 2008. The deal was said to be worth between $700,000 – $800,000.

Her brief appearances included Make Me a Supermodel and Better Homes and Gardens. In 2008 she said “no way” to the idea of a stint on Dancing with the Stars.

The Daily Telegraph notes that the Nine Network was recently offered a deal but politely declined.

Source: news.com.au

23 Responses

  1. @boganpride, you’re just plain wrong. The f word is a pejorative term that’s been used aggressively, sometimes violently, against gays. I was living in Sydney in the 80s and 90s during the rise of HIV AIDS, and the word was used by many to pillory and demonise homosexuals. It’s also been used in association with gay bashing so to state that it’s not insulting is ignorant. Words can and do hurt.

  2. @ J H. I agree with you. I can’t believe people are defending her use of those ugly words in her tweet. It’s not nothing, it is language like this that perpetuates stereotypes and is just plain ugly and offensive . It was way inappropriate and showed a terrible lack of judgement on her behalf. She has rightly been publicly scolded and embarrassed to the nth degree. I strongly advise her to lay off social networking for the immediate future, as last week’s tweet wasn’t the first time she’s been in trouble with it.

  3. I like how all the people defending Rice and her words aren’t gay or suffer discrimination themselves , but still feel qualified telling others who are discriminated to “toughen up.”

  4. What she said wasn’t insulting. People need to toughen up. So tired of everyone acting so precious, over words they themselves throw around with abandon.

  5. @ChrisN, yes, she lost her contract with Seven last month, whereas her Twitter faux pas only occurred last Saturday evening, so I don’t see how the two can possibly be connected.

    @koverstreet, yeah, DWTS is tacky (though oddly entertaining) however, it is a fantastic way to raise one’s profile, TV wise and get very valuable experience performing in front of the camera, something Ms Rice needed experience in. Bad call, in my humble opinion, not to do the show.

  6. Whilst not condoning Stephs remarks, I think she is paying a pretty hefty price for what after all was just a stupid comment.

    Did Matty Newtons contract get torn up after what I consider a much mroe serious misdemeanour.

  7. I agree with alfagirl. Ms Rice did not represent value for money for Seven, hence the chop. She was probably on borrowed time the minute she declined to do DWTS – Not a good decision by Ms Rice to pass up a stint on Seven’s flagship family/reality show.

  8. If one recalls Rice’s signing with Channel 7 they’ll remember that she was signed without Channel 7 really looking into her presenting skills. Then Channel 7 tried to conduct a few interviews with her …

    Which is why they quickly decided not to show her too often and to just cut their losses. It’s no real surprise they didn’t renew her contract.

  9. IMO this and her “Jaguar” sponsorship drop has nothing to do with twitter twatter and more to do with the fact the girl is a great swimmer but not a “personality” worth the enormous amount of money they were throwing at her.

  10. She’ll be hot again when she starts winning medals until the next event where Australia is right behind her she’ll just slip into the dark.

    Nine turned down an offer but what is the bet the come post commonwealth or prehaps London 2012 everyone wants to sign her again; TV Execs are fools sometimes.

    Though signing her in the first place was a dumb decision she’s a swimmer not a tv presenter.

  11. What? Seven signs the drug addled Ben Cousins, and that verbal atrocity Kyle Sandilands, but let’s go a genuinely nice person after one overexcited slip-up. That Today Tonight is broadcast each night is far more offensive than what Stephanie Rice said.

  12. Does this indicate that some sanity is returning to the sponsorship industry? That just being a ‘sports star’ will no longer guarantee non-entities millions in endorsements and cash? I hope so but I suspect not. As long as there are lazy advertising, marketing and PR people out there who control more money than they should they’ll reach for the sports celebrity endorsement card whenever they have no better ideas.

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