Foxtel’s top cricket executive departs after investigation into social media usage

Foxtel’s top cricket executive has resigned from the pay-TV broadcaster after an investigation into his alleged improper use of social media as the company gears up for the summer of cricket.

Matt Weiss, Fox Sports’ general manager of Fox Cricket, is leaving the company after more than a decade, including seven years running its cricket broadcasting division, having been linked to a now-deleted social media account used to allegedly abuse colleagues, rivals and prominent media, sports and political figures.

Weiss pictured (centre) alongside prominent cricketing figures, including Australian Test captain Pat Cummins (right) and Fox Sports managing director Steve Crawley (second from right).Credit: LinkedIn

The allegations were first reported in August by Crikey, which detailed alleged attacks and abuse dating back several years that were derogatory in nature, according to the reports.

The X (then-Twitter) account was used under the handle @RealRagingBull, and was deleted in 2021.

A Foxtel spokesperson confirmed Weiss’ resignation on Monday evening following the conclusion of an investigation initiated by the company at the end of August. The spokesperson did not comment on the investigation’s outcome.

It’s alleged the account attacked rival journalists from other outlets and some from within the News Corp stable, such as The Australian’s Gideon Haigh.

Weiss also allegedly called former Fox commentator Simon Hill an “oxygen thief” after he left the company, targeted AFLW players and other sports and media personalities, and used the account to call individuals a number of names, including “toothless ice head”, “spastic” and “mediawhore”.

It’s further alleged he requested a woman start an OnlyFans account and compared multiple black women’s appearances to Star Wars character Chewbacca, according to Crikey.

News Corp’s global standards of business conduct demand that employees do not engage in behaviour on or off company property that causes or risks causing any employee to reasonably feel that he or she is being harassed.

It also states that workplaces should be free of harassment and victimisation.

Fox Sports’ cricket division was created after the pay-TV broadcaster signed a six-year broadcast rights deal with Cricket Australia in 2018 alongside the Seven Network, taking some international cricket behind a paywall for the first time.

In 2023, Foxtel contributed close to 30 per cent of Cricket Australia’s reported revenue of $422 million. Foxtel pays Cricket Australia approximately $122 million per year.

In 2023, Foxtel and Seven agreed to a new seven-year, $1.5 billion contract with Cricket Australia, which will kick off at the end of this year. Foxtel will pay around $150 million per year.

Foxtel broadcasts all domestic Test matches, T20s, the Big Bash League, Women’s Big Bash League and has exclusive rights to one-day internationals. The 2024-25 summer of cricket will be headlined by the Australian men’s Test team playing India, with the first Test kicking off next month.

Two months ago, footage emerged of Foxtel chief executive Patrick Delany jokingly performing a Nazi salute in the mid-2010s.

In the footage, published by this masthead, Delany was seen mocking former Socceroos player Mark Bosnich, who infamously made a similar gesture during an English Premier League game in 1996.

Delany apologised for the gesture.

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