The company that handles sponsorships for Mississippi State University’s athletics program ended a business relationship with a company Tuesday after that company’s president was identified as someone charged with a sex crime against children.
Bulldog Sports Properties and Gulf Relay LLC severed ties after Gulf Relay was the primary sponsor of MSU’s Military Appreciation game against Arkansas on Saturday. The president of Gulf Relay, Douglas Hindman, was arrested by the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office in 2006 during an investigation into online sex predators. He was charged with child exploitation, a crime that would have included a penalty of registering as a sex offender.
Hindman pleaded guilty to cyberstalking — a charge that has not landed him on the Mississippi Sex Offender Registry — and was later pardoned by former Governor Haley Barbour.
The information about Hindman came to light when a picture of him on the field was posted on social media and fans recognized him.
In a statement released Tuesday, Bulldog Sports Properties representatives said the company did not know about Hindman’s history.
“Bulldog Sports Properties, as a third-party rights holder for MSU Athletics, has sole responsibility for securing sponsorships on behalf of the program,” the statement said. “Bulldog Sports Properties signed an agreement with Gulf Relay without any knowledge of the events from 2006. After just recently learning about the situation, Bulldog Sports Properties and the sponsor mutually agreed to end the relationship. Moving forward, Bulldog Sports Properties will work to improve its review process to ensure that sponsors are in alignment with the university and the community.”
The Dispatch requested information on how Bulldog Sports Properties will improve the review process but did not hear back by press time. The organization also did not indicate how long the company contracted with Gulf Relay.
Hindman did not respond to a call from The Dispatch by press time.
The Dispatch also reached MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen for more on his expectations for Bulldog Sports Properties, but he chose not to elaborate, sticking with the statement MSU sent Tuesday.
“The Mississippi State University-affiliated Bulldog Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, contracts with Learfield for the sales, organization, and due diligence of athletics-related marketing and advertising,” the statement said. “That’s been the case for a number of years and is in keeping with the policies of our NCAA and Southeastern Conference peers.
“The Bulldog Club will continue to work with Learfield and other partners to encourage reasonable and proactive due diligence in all relationships executed on our behalf,” it said.
Learfield’s website says for its partners, it, “oversees the athletic multimedia rights and sponsorship initiatives.” In the Southeastern Conference, it also has deals with Alabama, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Missouri.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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