Poupou Escobar
Post Whore
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He's definitely worth a lot more than a nuffy, but in our team he is replaceable. I feel like the market wouldn't be doing its job if we kept him.
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He's definitely worth a lot more than a nuffy, but in our team he is replaceable. I feel like the market wouldn't be doing its job if we kept him.
At least he has a Plan B.
So much for him being on $250k a year. Seriously he should have been boned years ago.What’s the Buzz: Parramatta Eels cut off payments to Michael Jennings
Banned NRL star Michael Jennings is working for a building company to provide for his family until a verdict is handed down on his footballing future.
Phil Rothfield
less than 2 min read
February 28, 2021 - 8:55AM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom12 comments
DAILYTELEGRAPH.COM.AU1:49
NRL 2021: Fox League experts pick their top young guns
Whether they're eligible for Rookie of the Year or not, and some of the players picked here definitely aren't - these are the young guns that have Cooper Cronk, Michael Ennis, Matty Johns and Greg Alexander excited in 2021.
The Parramatta Eels have cut off payments to banned star Michael Jennings as he awaits the outcome of a Sports Integrity Australia inquiry into his alleged drug cheating.
The 32-year-old centre is now working for a building company to provide for his family until a verdict is handed down on his footballing future.
Jennings was provisionally suspended from the NRL on the day of Parramatta’s finals match against South Sydney last October after returning a positive A-sample for banned substances Ligandrol and Ibutamoren and three of their metabolites.
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Michael Jennings is working for a building company. Picture: Phil Hillyard
His lawyers have asked for a six-week extension to prepare his case.
The Eels continue to offer welfare support but have suspended his $8000-a-week salary on what is understood to be a $400,000 contract. The RLPA is monitoring the situation.
Jennings’ deal expires at the end of this season but he has an option in his favour.
Parramatta’s stance is different to that of Newcastle which kept paying Jarrod Mullen $15,000 a week in 2017 after he tested positive to steroid use until he was thrown out of the game.
St George Illawarra also continues to pay Jack de Belin despite sexual assault charges.
However last year the Cronulla Sharks stopped payments to Bronson Xerri.
A friend of Jennings told The Sunday Telegraph: “It’s great that he’s working and not just sitting around. He’s decided to keep himself busy.”
It is a difficult case for the Eels. As late as Friday the club’s welfare team spoke to him to check on his wellbeing.
However coach Brad Arthur has to play $400,000 under the salary cap until there is a verdict. No one has a clue how long that will take as some cases can take up to two years.
“Like in all cases, we are prevented from making any comment,” a Sports Integrity spokesman said.
When asked about the situation, Eels chief executive Jim Sarantinos also declined to comment because of confidentiality agreements.
Jennings is understood to be using a Melbourne barrister who was involved in the old Essendon AFL drugs scandal.
The f**k, merkin. He was one of our best players last year.
Because he was ‘allegedly’ cheating and on the juice.
Well the club wasn't to know that. All they saw was performance and he got remunerated accordingly.
You're missing the point Pou. I reckon he is probably worth $400K but it annoys me when some people suggested that a seasoned international that has won a premiership signed for $250K a year, when he extended. He may have been our best player but I know for a fact that his last year for us was something like $750K to $800K which made him our highest paid player. More than Gutherson and more than Moses.
BA didn't sign Sandow - what was the master stroke there?
No way. $250K max.
One of them he didn’t sign and the other you creamed your pants about.
He signed Foran to a contract with that clown Sharp where he could leave at anytime with a clause in his favour and take a years pay. It was so bad that the NRL did not want to register it.
Agreed. It was a calculated risk and was hardly a disastrous signing. We were in a shit spot as a club and couldn’t be choosy like merkins are now trying to be in hindsight.
so you were the caped.. avenger?
I’m talking about how you were spraying your load before he played a game. It was sickening how far you had his sword down your throat.
It's ćevap. It's massive but I only have one.
Every club would love to sign players as cheaply as possible but they are stuck paying what they have to. For weak clubs that's overs. The alternative is only signing players nobody wants and then you would barely spend a quarter of the salary cap. We signed Jennings (and Foran and Watmough) when we were cheating and thus weren't worried about the cap. Sandow was signed while Kearney was coach.
