Nowell Overstepped Bounds
Fri, Feb 18, '05
A dear friend once said to me, ?The way things start is usually the way they end?.
I don?t know if that was an original quote or a borrowed one, but it seems very apt for the present situation -- or should we say crisis -- that exists with regards to present relations between the West Indies team and their major sponsor Digicel.
From day one this problem has been fueled by a lack of communication leading to misunderstanding which was caused in the first instance by poor negotiation and planning on the part of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).
The very public standoff between the team and the WICB (under pressure from Digicel) obviously meant that from the moment of takeoff there was to be much turbulence experienced on the long journey down under. With the leaked memo by Richard Nowell of Digicel, it seems the plane has taken a nosedive toward a devastating and fatal crash.
Nowell?s report is not only lacking in judgment, but in taste as well. The fact that it has been leaked to the media clearly gives credence to the clich? that if all truths were to be known there would be no peace in the world.
The extent of the injury that this will cause between the team and the sponsors cannot be tabulated just yet, but clearly, this will require much more than Neosporin and Band-Aids.
While Nowell is busy lambasting the players for not being ?sponsor/media savvy?, it is clear that he needs a little ?savvy? himself. How could he expect that with the very public and not-so-public occurrences pre-tour that things would run smoothly in Australia? This is the same sponsor that wanted to strong-arm the WICB in selecting the team and captain.
His juvenile and petty gossiping could by no means fall under the rights and responsibilities of a sponsorship manager. Alluding to the volume of numbers stored in the memories of the phones he loaned to the players is surely abusing his position.
Did the players know that their phones would be examined upon return to Digicel? Is this not the grossest invasion of privacy? Nowell further went on to cast aspersions as to the number of sexual partners that the players had on tour. Obviously he had nothing better to do than to note whose door was being opened and closed when and how often. How dare he pass off his assumptions as facts unless he was also standing outside the door of players listening to the type of noises that were coming from the rooms?
As ludicrous as this might seem, it would not be surprising. At least one player had his wife on tour and others had partners of their choosing. This is nothing new and had no bearing on sponsor/team relations. Even if he merely wants to criticize, which he obviously does, we can go further to say that what the players do in their bedrooms is no business of his or anyone else?s.
It is no secret that the invincible West Indies team of the eighties left the continents littered with broken hearts, not to mention children. Petty opinions need not be aired as causes for concern.
A very sore point among the players was the constant filming of their every move. This was not a part of a contractual arrangement, and could be viewed as an attempt at exploiting the cricketers.
There was apparently no limit to filming ?behind the scenes? footage. A source close to the team told me it was ?annoying and intrusive?, and said, ?I am sure if they could have gone in with the players when they were taking a sh*t, they would have!?
As noted in Nowell?s report the captain had words about the issue on more than one occasion. His main problem was not, as Nowell stated, about sponsorship. It was about the paparazzi-like recording of the players? activities in and out of the dressing rooms, at the hotels, on the bus, and at various functions. This made them very uncomfortable and they merely expressed that. When it is time to do an authorized documentary on the West Indies team, I am sure it will be properly negotiated by the ?terrorist players association? with adequate remuneration for the stars of the show.
Speaking of the West Indies Players Association, they are as vigilant as ever, because from all indications Digicel wants to do much more than sponsor the team. It is understood that Nowell took a dislike, borne out of frustration, to WIPA vice president Wavell Hinds since he felt Hinds was constantly getting in the way of his progress.
Nowell also spoke of Marshall and Powell being ostracized, stating that it was because of an interview that was done. That is not totally accurate, as this problem started before they left the Caribbean. It is no secret that the majority of the squad felt betrayed by those players signed the controversial player contracts. That is something for the players to work out among themselves, and they must have their own notions of how trust is earned or lost. Again the sponsorship manager seems to be flying past his nest.
And where was the tour manager Tony Howard in all of this mess? His noticeable absence helps to explain why the captain was the one trying to protect the players from the intrusion and scrutiny. The manager should have intervened seeing that his team was uncomfortable with the situation. If he was adequately doing his job then none of the players needed to be in any squabble with the sponsorship manager or his crew.
Some communication should have been made to the WICB about the matter so that immediate action could be taken.
It will be interesting to see how the present drama will unfold. More than likely, there will be demands and ultimatums handed out by the team sponsor Digicel. If they take the memo from Mr. Nowell into consideration they will no doubt be feeling that they are not getting value for their money.
Let us see how the crew at the WICB will deal with the matter, given that we have a greatly anticipated home season ahead.