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Justin Pascoe - Deregistered

Captain Apollo

Captain Apollo

Coach
Messages
13,982
Tiger5150 said:
Maybe. I’d like to see it tested how offering someone a job for 3 years in the future for a position they are qualified for would be breaking the rules and if it is in the rules how that same rule was applied to the endless numbers of high profile ex players on other clubs books
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If I remember correctly, the issue is where it is offered as part of a playing contract to also offer them a position for after they finish playing. That has been in the salary cap rules for well over a decade. In fact one of the first time I can recall it coming up was when the Bulldogs were trying to get Nigel Vagana and wanted to offer him a post playing position, which the NRL informed the bulldogs would have to go under the salary cap.

That does not mean you can not sign ex-players, just that you cannot offer them a post playing career position as part of a deal to get them to sign a playing contract.
 
Canard

Canard

Immortal
Messages
34,526
Tiger5150 said:
Other than some obligatory bitching and moaning here I’m done with the NRL. Good to see tough guy Toddy targeting the big problems with the NRL. I’m sure Brisbane, Melbourne, roosters have no ex players on the books.

When Greenberg was appointed I knew it would be a shitfight. Actually surprised at how bad a job he is doing
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Don't let the door hit your arse on the way out.
 
Perth Red

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,925
Captain Apollo said:
If I remember correctly, the issue is where it is offered as part of a playing contract to also offer them a position for after they finish playing. That has been in the salary cap rules for well over a decade. In fact one of the first time I can recall it coming up was when the Bulldogs were trying to get Nigel Vagana and wanted to offer him a post playing position, which the NRL informed the bulldogs would have to go under the salary cap.

That does not mean you can not sign ex-players, just that you cannot offer them a post playing career position as part of a deal to get them to sign a playing contract.
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how on earth would you police that?
 
Tiger5150

Tiger5150

Bench
Messages
3,146
Captain Apollo said:
If I remember correctly, the issue is where it is offered as part of a playing contract to also offer them a position for after they finish playing. That has been in the salary cap rules for well over a decade. In fact one of the first time I can recall it coming up was when the Bulldogs were trying to get Nigel Vagana and wanted to offer him a post playing position, which the NRL informed the bulldogs would have to go under the salary cap.

That does not mean you can not sign ex-players, just that you cannot offer them a post playing career position as part of a deal to get them to sign a playing contract.
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Understood. So what contract did Farah sign or renegotiate at that time?
 
P

philgood

Juniors
Messages
384
NRL is a joke. Tigers did not gain any advantage by offering Farah the ambassador role, especially since he signed with Souths thereafter.

Heavy handed and a complete over reaction!
 
Captain Apollo

Captain Apollo

Coach
Messages
13,982
Tiger5150 said:
Understood. So what contract did Farah sign or renegotiate at that time?
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Andrew Webster outlined this in a story published yesterday by the Sydney Morning Herald. Following is the part which should answer your question -

The NRL has been investigating an undeclared arrangement worth more than $400,000 over four years promised to Farah during his ugly departure from the Tigers in 2016.

It is understood Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe offered the ambassador role to Farah as a show of goodwill as Farah was pushed out of the club because of a fallout with then coach Jason Taylor, who was sacked in early 2017.

As a former captain, life member and player who had made more than 200 appearances for the Tigers, Pascoe believed it was the respectful thing to do by the NSW Origin hooker.

Farah ultimately left and joined South Sydney, with the Tigers forced to pay $750,000 of his whopping $900,000 salary for the 2017 season.

He made a fairytale return to the Tigers midway through last season, played his 250th match and will now line up next year alongside long-time teammate Benji Marshall for one final season.

There is no suggestion that Farah or his agent, Sam Ayoub, have done anything wrong. Nevertheless, the Tigers are preparing themselves for a significant breach notice to be handed to them this week.

They are angry because Farah has not accepted the deal and it has had no influence on their salary cap. Their only mistake was not declaring it to the NRL — because they didn’t know they had to.
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Vic Mackey

Vic Mackey

Referee
Messages
24,591
If my club has done the wrong thing I have no issue with them being heavily penalized and officials sacked.

This whole thing is extremely bizarre though. There was an article in 2016 saying Farah had been offered the Ambassador role, how is it only an issue now?

There are many other clubs where players transition straight from player to Ambasaador/coach/marketing etc.
Wests have come out and said the arrangement wasn’t even taken up?

The fine is only slightly less then what the Eels were fined for what was proven systematic cap rorting that went on for years.

This is classic misdirection from the NRL, nothing else.
 
S

siv

First Grade
Messages
6,563
So 4 years after event we see a penalty

Also such a large deal would need to be signed off by the WT board

Do they all need to be deregistered too
 
Front-Rower

Front-Rower

First Grade
Messages
5,297
The issue probably lies in the fact that Wobbie came back to the club (on min contract?) and the NRL see the post playing role as an influencing decision for him coming back. It also leaves Cleary's timings to get out of the club open to further suspicion...
 
Timmah

Timmah

LeagueUnlimited News Editor
Staff member
Messages
100,896
siv said:
So 4 years after event we see a penalty

Also such a large deal would need to be signed off by the WT board

Do they all need to be deregistered too
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Four years?

The agreement in question was signed when he moved to Souths at the end of 2016, which is barely more than 2 years ago.
 
M

Mario chalmers

Juniors
Messages
581
Tiger5150 said:
Understood. So what contract did Farah sign or renegotiate at that time?
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If you listen to Nick Weeks comments today (& im not sure of this), but I think the issue is not about the contracts. It's to do with the fact that the WT sought a salary cap discount, which is permitted in circumstances where a club has to cut a player because he is destabilising influence but is entitled to his full contract. The Tigers said to the NRL "we have this Farah bloke who is causing trouble and has to be moved on. We're prepared to pay him his full entitlement regardless of whether or not he stays at WT but if he does leave can we apply for salary cap relief for the portion of the contract that is paid to him after he leaves."

The NRL agreed to this request but says it was misled because the Tigers did not disclose that it had offered Farah an ambassador contract. It says "if Farah is such a bad influence and you have sought cap relief why did you offer him an ambassador contract?"

Farah had a playing contract which the Tigers subsidised after they punted him to Souths. Farah didn't want to leave the club at the time you will recall. To further induce Farah to leave I think they offered him the ambassador contract.

It's embarrassing for the Tigers on so many levels
- they paid Farah $750k to play at Souths in 2017;
- to induce him to leave WT they had to offer him a "job" after he retires
- the reason why they went to all this trouble is because Farah did not get on with Jason Taylor who the club had hired as coach;
- 6 months after Farah was punted, Taylor was also punted and was paid out the remaining year on his contract

I'm glad that Pascoe is gone because if he'd have spoken to the players at the time of the unrest between Taylor and Farah then it's clear JT would have been the one punted and none of the crap we've seen since would have happened.
 
S

SBD82

Coach
Messages
17,049
If it's any consolation to the tigers, you're probably much better off without a CEO who was dumb enough to sign Wobbie to that sort of contract.
 
Captain Apollo

Captain Apollo

Coach
Messages
13,982
The ABC have spelt it out in much clearer detail than the NRL did -

Separately, Wests Tigers boss Pascoe has also been stripped of his registration for failing to disclose a deal to pay Robbie Farah more than $600,000 outside the salary cap for an ambassadorial role after he retires from playing.

The Tigers also sought to have almost $500,000 made exempt from their salary cap in 2017, after telling the NRL they had to terminate Farah's contract because he was a destructive influence, while at the same time agreeing to the ambassadorial role after his playing career.

"We have obtained documents which show that the club entered an agreement to pay Robbie Farah to act as an ambassador at the club when he retires from playing," Greenberg said.

"This agreement was signed in 2016, at the same time Robbie left the club to join the Rabbitohs.

"The game's rules are very, very clear on these arrangements.

"Any commitment to make such a payment should have been disclosed and should have been included in the salary cap. The club failed to do this."

Greenberg said the club compounded its conduct by submitting a misleading application to the NRL in relation to the salary cap treatment of money paid to Farrah when he left the club.
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