My Food Bag ditches the Chiefs

My Food Bag has announced it is ending its three-year partnership with the Chiefs rugby franchise 13 months early.

The announcement was made ahead of the NZ Rugby Union making public the outcome of an investigation into the rugby team's controversial stripper scandal last month.

Following an end of season party, a stripper known as “Scarlette” alleged players from the Waikato team were drunk, touched her inappropriately and said derogatory things to her.

The NZRU has been investigating and was asked by the Chiefs to widen its investigation after a second stripper came forward, alleging similar actions.

At a press conference this afternoon, NZRU said the allegations could not be substantiated and police are not pursuing either incident.

No action is being taken but players have been warned.

Chiefs rugby boss Andrew Flexman said two sponsors had ended their association with the rugby franchise but would not name either.

My Food Bag co-chief executive Cecilia Robinson says that the players’ conduct at the end-of-season party was “insupportable” and does not reflect the values of the company.

“We wish the club and its players well and hope they will put appropriate processes in place to prevent anything such as this from happening again,” she says in a statement.

The food delivery service’s sponsorship was due to finish in October 2017.

A My Food Bag spokeswoman says the company decided to end the sponsorship “some time back but there is a process to go through” and it wanted to give the club space to conduct its own investigation.

My Food Bag says it will continue to sponsor individual athletes.

The company says it will donate the remaining Chiefs sponsorship fees for 2016 to the women’s refuge. The status of the next year's fees will be confirmed “in the coming months” when planning for 2017 takes place, the spokeswoman says.

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