Accenture terminates sponsorship with Tiger Woods
The global consulting firm Accenture PLC has terminated its six-year sponsorship with Tiger Woods. This latest setback comes after reports that AT&T and Gillette have also stopped running his ads, though last week, Gillette said they would stick by Woods in the midst of the fallout from the athlete’s Nov. 27 car accident and alleged extramarital affairs. Last Friday, Woods announced on his website that he would be taking an indefinite hiatus from professional golf to focus on his family.
UPDATE: In a statement, Accenture said:
“For the past six years, Accenture and Tiger Woods have had a very successful sponsorship arrangement and his achievements on the golf course have been a powerful metaphor for business success in Accenture’s advertising. However, given the circumstances of the last two weeks, after careful consideration and analysis, the company has determined that he is no longer the right representative for its advertising. Accenture said that it wishes only the best for Tiger Woods and his family.”
As for AT&T, they released this statement last Friday: “We support Tiger’s decision and our thoughts will be with him and his family. We are presently evaluating our ongoing relationship with him.”