Dear Dogs Of War,
The Gold Coast Titans board has now received specific details of the allegations made against three of the five current Titans players facing charges arising out of the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) investigation.
These players have been stood down whilst the board sought this information so it could make informed decisions having regard to the overall best interests of the club, including the entire playing group.
At all times the board has acted carefully and responsibly in addressing these matters. As such, the board met again today to further consider the information provided in relation to the three players as well as submissions made by their legal representatives.
The board remains conscious of the need to balance the protection of the best interests of the club and the game, with the need to ensure its decisions do not prejudice the fair trial of the charged players.
Given this, the board has today decided to seek independent legal advice as to the potential steps open to the club. This advice will be obtained from prominent Sydney silk, Tony Bannon, SC, who will examine the information provided to the board. It is expected this process will take a few days to complete and the board will then, after receiving that advice, make its decision as to the immediate playing futures of the three players. The players will continue to be stood down until the advice has been received and considered by the board.
The board will also seek further legal advice from Mr Bannon, SC, in relation to the two remaining players once they have provided the requested information as to specific details of the charges they face. Until then these two players will also continue to remain stood down.
