SMH
Brad Walter | June 3, 2008
Revealed
Sonny Bill Williams's Bulldogs contract.
THIS is the document that has created the chasm between Sonny Bill Williams and the Bulldogs and may lead to the NRL's most marketable player facing off against his club in court.
According to the five-year deal Williams signed in March last year, the 22-year-old superstar will receive the same money from the Bulldogs in 2012 as he does this season. And the annual payment of $400,000, which does not alter regardless of inflation, form or his status in the game, includes an amount in lieu of leave entitlements, superannuation and fringe benefits tax - leaving one of the NRL's biggest stars with about $200,000 a season after tax for the next five years.
After months of speculation about Williams's disillusionment with the deal and the club, the issue is set to finally come to a head tomorrow when his manager, Khoder Nasser, meets new Bulldogs chief executive Todd Greenberg. Neither was involved in negotiating the contract, which Williams signed on the eve of the 2007 premiership kick-off after struggling to cope with the intense pressure and speculation that accompanied the protracted dealings.
But as the season wore on, Williams became more and more frustrated by the deal, and he approached Nasser to take over his affairs. At his meeting with Greenberg, Nasser - best known for managing former NRL star turned world champion boxer Anthony Mundine, whose $600,000-a-season deal at the time he walked out on St George Illawarra in 2000 has not been surpassed - is expected to challenge the validity of the contract.
It is believed Nasser has legal advice supporting his view, and a leading agent, who represents some of the biggest names in Australian sport, last night told the Herald he was stunned by the terms of Williams's contract with the Bulldogs.
"You would think that his money would go up over that amount of time, otherwise in real terms he is getting less and less each year," said the agent, who did not want to be named because he had not seen the contract in full. "Maybe if he was 31 years old and at the end of his career, it would be a good deal but not when you're 21 and one of the most marketable guys in the game. He probably isn't even at his peak yet, and usually when you do a deal like this you assume the market will go up as more money comes into the game."
Questions are expected to be asked about the circumstances that led to Williams signing for such a lengthy period and why the contract contains no provision for an increase in his pay over the term of the deal.
By re-signing, Williams turned his back on bigger offers that may have been available from rival clubs - as he did in 2005 when he rejected a deal with Super League club St Helens worth the equivalent of $900,000 to stay loyal to the Bulldogs for a further two years on far less money.
At the time his re-signing was announced on March 9 last year, the Herald reported that Williams had opted for the $2 million five-year deal over a more lucrative three-year contract worth $450,000 a season. "I always wanted a five-year deal because I don't want to go through this ever again," Williams told the Herald at the time. "I haven't been sleeping too well the last couple of weeks. I've been getting headaches."
In addition to his $400,000-a-season playing contract, Williams has a $50,000 third-party deal with one of the Bulldogs' sponsors - but that is not guaranteed for the full five years of the deal. He also has a personal sponsorship deal with Nike that was negotiated separately and would continue irrespective of whether he stayed with the club.
Since re-signing Williams, the Bulldogs have lost internationals Mark O'Meley and Willie Mason to the Bulldogs and halfback Brent Sherwin to English club Castleford, while former Test centre Willie Tonga will join North Queensland next season.
But the club predicted at the time that Williams would be a "magnet" to attract new recruits, and Brisbane hooker Michael Ennis was yesterday confirmed as the Bulldogs' latest signing, joining Broncos teammate and Queensland Origin prop Ben Hannant, who is reportedly on a three-year deal worth $1 million.
Greenberg said yesterday he wasn't yet sure of the details of tomorrow's meeting with Nasser, but he was looking forward to it. "I'm certainly hoping that this will be an opportunity for him to tell us if there are any issues and, if so, what those issues are," he said.
Asked about reports the Bulldogs planned to sue Williams for $3 million if he walked out on the remainder of his deal to play rugby union, Greenberg said: "What we have said is that we would take a dim view of anyone trying to entice a breach of contract. That was mainly aimed at the NZRU or French rugby union."
Think of it like Sonny. They front-loaded your contract.
Brad Walter | June 3, 2008
THIS is the document that has created the chasm between Sonny Bill Williams and the Bulldogs and may lead to the NRL's most marketable player facing off against his club in court.
According to the five-year deal Williams signed in March last year, the 22-year-old superstar will receive the same money from the Bulldogs in 2012 as he does this season. And the annual payment of $400,000, which does not alter regardless of inflation, form or his status in the game, includes an amount in lieu of leave entitlements, superannuation and fringe benefits tax - leaving one of the NRL's biggest stars with about $200,000 a season after tax for the next five years.
After months of speculation about Williams's disillusionment with the deal and the club, the issue is set to finally come to a head tomorrow when his manager, Khoder Nasser, meets new Bulldogs chief executive Todd Greenberg. Neither was involved in negotiating the contract, which Williams signed on the eve of the 2007 premiership kick-off after struggling to cope with the intense pressure and speculation that accompanied the protracted dealings.
But as the season wore on, Williams became more and more frustrated by the deal, and he approached Nasser to take over his affairs. At his meeting with Greenberg, Nasser - best known for managing former NRL star turned world champion boxer Anthony Mundine, whose $600,000-a-season deal at the time he walked out on St George Illawarra in 2000 has not been surpassed - is expected to challenge the validity of the contract.
It is believed Nasser has legal advice supporting his view, and a leading agent, who represents some of the biggest names in Australian sport, last night told the Herald he was stunned by the terms of Williams's contract with the Bulldogs.
"You would think that his money would go up over that amount of time, otherwise in real terms he is getting less and less each year," said the agent, who did not want to be named because he had not seen the contract in full. "Maybe if he was 31 years old and at the end of his career, it would be a good deal but not when you're 21 and one of the most marketable guys in the game. He probably isn't even at his peak yet, and usually when you do a deal like this you assume the market will go up as more money comes into the game."
Questions are expected to be asked about the circumstances that led to Williams signing for such a lengthy period and why the contract contains no provision for an increase in his pay over the term of the deal.
By re-signing, Williams turned his back on bigger offers that may have been available from rival clubs - as he did in 2005 when he rejected a deal with Super League club St Helens worth the equivalent of $900,000 to stay loyal to the Bulldogs for a further two years on far less money.
At the time his re-signing was announced on March 9 last year, the Herald reported that Williams had opted for the $2 million five-year deal over a more lucrative three-year contract worth $450,000 a season. "I always wanted a five-year deal because I don't want to go through this ever again," Williams told the Herald at the time. "I haven't been sleeping too well the last couple of weeks. I've been getting headaches."
In addition to his $400,000-a-season playing contract, Williams has a $50,000 third-party deal with one of the Bulldogs' sponsors - but that is not guaranteed for the full five years of the deal. He also has a personal sponsorship deal with Nike that was negotiated separately and would continue irrespective of whether he stayed with the club.
Since re-signing Williams, the Bulldogs have lost internationals Mark O'Meley and Willie Mason to the Bulldogs and halfback Brent Sherwin to English club Castleford, while former Test centre Willie Tonga will join North Queensland next season.
But the club predicted at the time that Williams would be a "magnet" to attract new recruits, and Brisbane hooker Michael Ennis was yesterday confirmed as the Bulldogs' latest signing, joining Broncos teammate and Queensland Origin prop Ben Hannant, who is reportedly on a three-year deal worth $1 million.
Greenberg said yesterday he wasn't yet sure of the details of tomorrow's meeting with Nasser, but he was looking forward to it. "I'm certainly hoping that this will be an opportunity for him to tell us if there are any issues and, if so, what those issues are," he said.
Asked about reports the Bulldogs planned to sue Williams for $3 million if he walked out on the remainder of his deal to play rugby union, Greenberg said: "What we have said is that we would take a dim view of anyone trying to entice a breach of contract. That was mainly aimed at the NZRU or French rugby union."
Think of it like Sonny. They front-loaded your contract.
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