Wests Tigers demand apology, investigate legal action over Paul Kent’s comments on NRL360 about Anzac shirt

“I spoke to the Defense Force who told us they were not consulted by the Tigers, contrary to what the Tigers said yesterday,” Kent said Wednesday night.

“That they didn’t provide the Tigers with any pictures. They have pictures available if searched, but they weren’t. The Tigers simply pulled a stock image from the internet, designed the jersey themselves and sent it to Steeden, who printed the jersey.

“There is also an indication in yesterday’s statement that it was purchased under the official apparel partner’s license. That is not true. It was sent to Steeden by the Tigers. So the Tigers are a little slippery with their version of events today.”

The Tigers say they never claimed to have spoken to the Australian Defense Force. Hagipantelis confirmed he had seen email correspondence between the club and Holsworthy Army Barracks, who saw the shirt and did not raise an issue in mid-March.

“The statement issued by the club on the evening of April 4, referring to Holsworthy Army Barracks, is entirely correct,” Hagipantelis said. “I have requested and quoted lengthy exchanges of emails, according to the club and barracks, confirming the content of the statement. At no time did we claim that we had Holsworthy Army Barracks or ADF approval for the jersey design. For marketing purposes we have partnered with Army Barracks.

“The allegation that we lied to or misled our members and supporters is completely false and should be withdrawn unreservedly. To his credit, the club pulled out as soon as they became aware there was a problem with the shirt design.”

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“We have apologized to anyone who may have been offended by the error. We have been fully transparent and deeply resent any suggestion that we acted inappropriately. The mistake Wests Tigers made was in choosing the image to use on the jersey and this has been acknowledged and rectified.

It’s not the first time this year that Hagipantelis has targeted the media for reporting on the tigers. The herald reported last month on the chairman’s frustration at the absence of recruit John Bateman in the early weeks of the season.

Hagipantelis addressed more than 200 guests in the Centurions Lounge at Leichhardt Oval prior to kickoff against the Knights in round two and used his speech to defend himself and the club against suggestions that the Tigers were misleading people about Bateman’s fitness.

“Despite my public assurances that John Bateman is not playing because of an injury, but for the reasons I have set out, there is still a segment of the media that refuses to accept such explanations but has affirmed positively that we are lying and misleading our fans,” Hagipantelis told corporate partners and members of the club.

“The public statements I have made are based on the information and representations I receive from those within the club in possession of the relevant information. To say that I’m fibbing or misleading our supporters inevitably implies that I was somehow deceived as well.

“And knowing that deceiving the chairman would not be a healthy career choice leads me to believe that what I have been told is absolutely correct and that this is the information I have shared publicly. And there was never a reason for me to question that.”

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