As a Melbourne Storm supporter, I'm always hearing non-stop about the salary cap scandal and how Parramatta and Manly were cheated out of Premierships (Mind you, the Storm were clearly the better side in both Grand Finals, but don't let facts get in the way of a good whinge).
When the salary cap scandal broke, all of the controversy surrounding it led me to one conclusion.
If the NRL wasn't directly involved, they knew it was happening.
I say this because I find it VERY hard to believe that the Storm was able to get away with what they did, for as long as they did, without people asking questions. I think it's also safe to say that David Gallop and the higher ups at that time knew more than they were letting on.
Which is why the punishment imposed on the Storm wasn't about serving justice. It was about putting the kibosh on it as quickly as possible so questions wouldn't be asked.