Pub covers Conor McGregor's stout tap and replaces it with charity logo after civil trial
David Stephenson, who owns The Grind in Spennymoor, near Durham, has decided to cut ties with Forged after McGregor was ordered by a civil court to pay Nikita Hand damages of nearly €250,000
A pub has covered up the beer tap of Conor McGregor's stout and replaced it with a rape survivors charity logo after the MMA superstar lost his civil case.
David Stephenson, who owns The Grind in Spennymoor, near Durham, has decided to cut ties with Forged after McGregor was ordered by a civil court to pay Nikita Hand damages of nearly €250,000.
The pub owner said he felt it was 'the right thing to do' as more than half his staff and customers are women. David claimed that there is a 'negative' association with the stout, which he does not want in his bar, and said all the proceeds will go to charity.
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The MMA star's beer tap now bears the logo of The Survivors Trust, an abuse charity where all the proceeds will be donated to and the stout has been renamed to 'Survivor'. Footage on The Grind's page shows staff painting over the logo and replacing it with the charity's logo.
Meanwhile, staff can be seen tearing down the illuminated signage of the brand and chucking it in the bin. The 45-year-old owner admitted that it was 'embarrassing' to sell the stout as it will always be associated with the MMA fighter and sends out the 'wrong message.'
The bar staff have been instructed to inform customers who wish to buy the beer about the cause and are hoping to raise awareness. Although The Grind's partnership with Forged had reportedly been positive, David says the team decided that they no longer want to be associated with the company.
David, from Spennymoor, Durham, said: "We're a very female-driven business. Around 70% of our customers and staff are female. We thought it was the right thing to do. There was some left in stock and we thought there's not much point tipping it down the sink as it had already been paid for and would be a waste. I thought we could do something good with this awful stout.
"I think it's a less-known form of abuse so I thought we could raise a bit of awareness. People have a voice and when they get together it's a big voice. I just don't think the brand is good for anybody's business. It will always be associated with him, the bads outweigh the goods."
David added: "We really liked the brand, we got represented really well by Forged when we first signed with them, they took us on a trip to Dublin and we went to the brewery, but obviously it's gone sour now."
The video has gathered attention on social media, and despite a few negative comments, he stands by his decision.
David said: "Everyone's got their own opinions but my opinion is that I no longer want to sell this stout. It would send the wrong message because everyone's talking about it in a negative way. I don't want that association with my bar. Everyone knows it's the right thing to do. It's non-negotiable and if you don't agree with that then good luck because you won't get very far."
A spokesperson for The Survivors Trust said: "As an organisation, we do not comment on individual cases or companies. The Survivors Trust was not consulted in the making of this video, nor has it had any input or issued any statements regarding the case in question.
"We have made several attempts to reach out to the creators of this film and would welcome the opportunity for a conversation with them so we can continue to use their support to highlight our objectives."
Forged for has been contacted for comment.
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