Publicly, Storm backed the Voice. Privately, a part-owner was bankrolling No

Rapper Adam Briggs has taken Melbourne Storm to task over its support of First Nations people as he claims the club failed to call out a director and part-owner who bankrolled the No campaign.

In a letter penned to the club to rescind his support, the life-long Storm fan, who has performed and worked with the NRL, described the $75,000 gift by businessman and prominent sports investor Brett Ralph as a donation to peddle and amplify misinformation and fearmongering against Indigenous people.

This masthead revealed last month that Ralph, a Storm board member and part-owner, donated $75,000 to Advance Australia last financial year through his company, JMR Management Consultancy Services.

Advance was the peak group behind the No campaign.

In the letter addressed to Storm chair Matthew Tripp, the Yorta Yorta rapper wrote: “Brett Ralph did not just vote No - he sponsored No.

Melbourne Storm board member and part-owner Brett Ralph donated $75,000 to the No campaign.

“Do Brett Ralph’s values align with those of the Storm at large, and can Melbourne Storm Rugby League continue to support both Brett Ralph and the Culture and identity of its First Nation people? I think not.”

Publicly, the club was supportive of the Voice, and the NRL backed the Yes vote in May. The league also holds an annual Indigenous round.

The Storm, Briggs and Ralph have agreed to a meeting to try to resolve their differences.

A dismayed Briggs said he initially met Storm boss Justin Rodski on September 16 to discuss Ralph’s donation, the day after it was made public.

He said he wrote the letter because Storm did not publicly acknowledge the donation.

Briggs in his viral vote Yes video before the referendum.

“They could’ve defused this with a statement from the club saying ‘We support First Nations people, we support the Victorian blackfellas that we utilise in so many aspects of the game and pageantry’,” he said.

In the letter to Tripp, Briggs wrote:

“The No campaign actively devalued my people and my Yorta Yorta /Wurundjeri identity. It has heightened the stereotypes of devaluing our contribution to the Australian society and nationhood, and enhanced the burden of irrelevance. In doing so, it added to the already endless workload of myself, my father, and the Indigenous community.

“A donation to ‘No’ was a donation to peddle and amplify misinformation and fearmongering against Indigenous people.”

During the referendum campaign, South Australian law professor Irene Watson and Arrernte opinion writer and social commentator Celeste Liddle told RMIT ABC Fact Check that Advance Australia used material they had written without their consent, and misrepresented their views in social media advertising.

Asked whether Ralph should resign from the board, Briggs told this masthead: “The club has to decide that. You know, does [his donation] reflect the values of the club?”

The rapper’s withdrawal of support for Melbourne Storm follows a strong relationship with both the club and the NRL. Briggs has performed several times for the sports league, including the pre-match entertainment at the State of Origin series opener in 2019. Ahead of the 2017 Indigenous round, he performed his song, Here, produced as the sport’s theme song for the NRL’s broadcast partner, Fox Sports.

“I [am] asking that the current board and future have the courage to do what’s right according to your stated values. In the meantime, the club no longer aligns with mine.”

Briggs said he appreciates that “everyone has the right to vote.”

“However, a sizeable donation says a lot more than taking part in democracy … I can’t leave without asking the question of what’s their Indigenous round worth? What’s their Indigenous jersey worth?”

In response to the letter, which the club received on Thursday, Storm said it had invited Briggs to meet both the club and Ralph. Briggs has accepted that invitation.

“Brett (Ralph) has never used Melbourne Storm, or its players or staff, to express or promote his personal views on public or private matters,” a statement from the club said. “Like all Australians, Brett is entitled to hold an opinion on matters important to him and, as a club, we do not instruct him - or others - to form a position that should be his to make.”

The club added that Ralph “has a long history in supporting Indigenous causes throughout his professional and personal life.” They did not outline what these causes were.

Ralph did not respond to requests to comment.

The 59-year-old has sat on the Storm board since March 2021, and has held a 20 per cent stake in Storm since 2020.

He owns a stake in several other sports teams, including the Melbourne United basketball team and the Melbourne Aces baseball team. He mostly recently bought a stake in the Dick Johnson Racing team in the Supercars motor racing series.

Briggs said that like the Storm, Melbourne United had to ask themselves whether the club’s views aligned with Ralph’s.

Melbourne United boss Nick Truelson said he had reached out to Briggs after he posted about the donation to X, formerly Twitter.

“While we respect that individuals are entitled to their own opinions and views, opinions of individuals do not and will not represent the views of our club, other owners, players, staff, or the league itself,” Truelson said.

“We are proud of Melbourne United’s focus on and contribution to the Indigenous community. Whether it be our Multicultural Game, Indigenous round … we are taking real action to achieve our purpose of using the power of basketball to inspire, entertain and enrich people’s lives.”

Melbourne Aces did not respond to questions.

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