NRL boss fires back as 17-year partnership ends due to 'tone deaf' Trump move
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo has defended the league's invitation for US President Donald Trump to attend the season-opening games in Las Vegas after fresh backlash around the move. Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) chair Peter V'landys appeared on American breakfast TV recently to make a personal plea for the President to attend this weekend's Vegas spectacle after insisting it would provide the sport with exposure that 'money cannot buy'.
But anti-domestic violence charity, White Ribbon, has slammed the move as being "tone deaf" and subsequently ended its 17-year partnership with the NRL. In a letter sent to league officials and seen by AAP, White Ribbon signalled an end to its partnership with the NRL that dates back to 2008 after citing the league's decision to associate with "well-known perpetrators of abuse and violence against women".
The letter does not specifically reference the US President by name, but it's understood the Vegas invitation was behind the charity's bombshell decision. Mr Trump is a convicted felon and was found liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of female journalist E Jean Carroll after a civil case in 2023. He was ultimately ordered to pay the journalist and author $5 million in damages.
The Canberra Raiders also approached UFC boss Dana White with an offer to blow the Viking Horn that has become a tradition before kick-off for their games. The Raiders and Sharks are set to open the NRL's new season in Vegas on Sunday morning (11am AEDT), before Cronulla take on four-time defending premiers Penrith later in the day.
The UFC boss has also been embroiled in drama involving a woman after being caught on camera slapping his wife in a Mexican night club on New Year's Eve in 2022. It's understood White is unable to attend the Vegas games because of a scheduling clash, while President Trump is yet to take up the invitation from V'landys to be a special guest at the league extravaganza.
Employing all his charm and natural TV presence, rugby league boss Peter V'landys begs Donald Trump to attend the NRL's Las Vegas extravaganza pic.twitter.com/YLu5SnrYMZ
— australian kitsch 🦘 (@OzKitsch) February 17, 2025
Speaking in response to the boycott from White Ribbon, the NRL CEO defended the league's invitation for the American President and pointed out that the same offer was extended to former President Joe Biden last year. Mr Abdo says the NRL does not have any "affiliation" with America's political parties and suggested it was an "appropriate" way to acknowledge the NRL's international hosts and leverage the game off the enormous profile of the US leader.
"We are playing this match in America, we are being hosted by America. Last year we invited (then-president) Joe Biden, this year we invited Donald Trump," NRL CEO Abdo said in Las Vegas. "That's not to say we have any political affiliation with any party. Sending an invite to the sitting president of this country is appropriate and that's what we did."
The league boss was quick to stress that the NRL is still committed to equality, inclusion and stamping out violence against women. "We're about bringing people together no matter what your political beliefs, no matter your background. We're a sport for everyone, the greatest game for all," he said.
White Ribbon has not worked on a campaign with the NRL since 2020 but was still listed as one of the NRL's partners on the league website. That has since been removed after a request from the charity. White Ribbon's letter also called for the invitations to be officially rescinded by the NRL and questioned whether most league fans would approve of them anyway.
In a statement provided to AAP, White Ribbon chief executive Merinda March said it was "tone deaf" for the NRL to associate themselves with "well-known perpetrators" of violence against women. "While the NRL has continued to promote their association with us, this decision by the NRL is wildly misaligned with our values and lacks integrity and respect," March said.
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"We believe the fans and participants of the NRL - almost half of whom are female - deserve better. They deserve the values of respect, integrity and fair play - both on and off the field. We call on them now to appeal to the administrators of their beloved sport to represent them with these values on the world stage." The White Ribbon CEO says the charity could work with the league again "when the NRL is ready to commit to an authentic zero-tolerance stance to abuse and violence against women."
with AAP
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