The punch that cost the Sharks $20,000 - Zappia stands down

[El Diablo]

would you give it a go?

 

[fatshark]

Just great.

I TOLD you people the club was a joke.

No one believed me. Said it was a phase.

Its been a joke since they have won nothing, had to be bailed out numberous times, and now the culture is one worth squashing....

i still hope they die.

And gosford come in

oh f**k off imbo

 

[El Diablo]

http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/br...even-clash-over-hall-tapes-20090610-c3j6.html

Sharks, Seven clash over Hall tapes
Ian McCullough
June 10, 2009 - 7:39PM

Cronulla officials say the Seven Network has refused to give the embattled NRL club a copy of the recorded conversation between chief executive Tony Zappia and former employee Jenny Hall.

Seven had offered to give the club a copy of a covertly recorded meeting allegedly between Zappia and Hall following an incident where she was left with a black eye, so the club could conduct its own investigation into the incident.

In the conversation Zappia is claimed to have asked Hall if she wanted to spank him as punishment and then allegedly discussed offensive images from an email during their conversation.

However, the Sharks now say the network refused to hand the tape over because, as AAP understands, the club turned down a Seven request to view legal documents relating to Hall's departure.

The Sharks have this week commissioned an independent investigation into the allegations, with members of staff interviewed in the past few days.

The findings will be released to the board at a meeting which will take place on Thursday evening.

"The board has commissioned a new independent investigation into all previously reported and new allegations raised in the media in the past few days," Sharks board member Greg Holland said on Wednesday in a statement released to AAP.

"The board has requested that the independent report will be made available by 5pm tomorrow.

"Unfortunately Channel Seven continue to set unacceptable conditions for us to be able to view the tapes aired on their news programs, which makes investigating the incident more difficult.

"The board is also looking forward, as requested, to Tony Zappia's response by close of business tomorrow.

"A board meeting will be held tomorrow night to consider all of the information before it."

Seven refuted the Sharks' claims in a statement released on Wednesday.

"We have offered the opportunity for lawyers for Cronulla to listen to the audio tapes involving Anthony Zappia," the statement said.

"Indeed, we have made that offer to the board of Cronulla or its representatives on a number of occasions since Sunday.

"The offer has not been taken up as yet.

"Regardless, four days after our original broadcast, the offer remains in place.

"The board of Cronulla or its legal representatives, indeed the board and its lawyers, can come in and listen to the tapes for themselves at any time.

"Claims that Seven News is not allowing the club to listen to the tapes are misleading and not reflective of our representations to the club.

"But we will not be agreeing to any conditions they may impose on Jenny Hall in order to listen to the tapes."

Chairman Barry Pierce, who will stand down himself on June 30, is effectively running the club in Zappia's absence, and a club official said the Sharks would wait on the outcome of Thursday's meeting before making any plans for a possible successor.

 

[El Diablo]

so 7 will only let them listen if they come in so the AFL merkins can film it

lowlife scum run by a lowlife prick

 

[El Diablo]

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/sport/nrl/story/0,26746,25617799-5003409,00.html

Zappia standing firm over tapes

By Josh Massoud | June 11, 2009 12:00am

UNDER-fire Sharks CEO Tony Zappia has broken his silence to declare he will refuse to resign over the Jenny Hall tape furore.

"I have no intention of going anywhere,'' he told The Daily Telegraph on the eve of tonight's red-letter Cronulla board meeting that will decide his future. "All I want is a fair and open process.''

Zappia will tonight ask Cronulla directors to approach police about secretly taped conversations that have left his career on the ropes.

Four days after he stood down to seek legal advice, Zappia is preparing to fight for his job as he defends fresh workplace misconduct allegations from ex-staffer Jenny Hall.

The 25-year-old has alleged Zappia offered to let her spank him during a conversation she recorded without her then-boss's permission, and in possible contravention of the NSW Surveillance Devices Act (2007). The offence carries a maximum five-year prison sentence.

Cronulla is under immense pressure to sack Zappia, who has also been accused of showing Hall lewd emails on his work computer. NRL boss David Gallop has publicly slammed his actions and received Hall's secret recordings on Tuesday night.

Zappia's solicitor Grant Bonner yesterday retaliated with a legal request for Gallop to refrain from commenting further. Either way, Cronulla's nine-man board wants to end the drama as soon as possible. The board this week ordered an investigation into Hall's latest claims and staff have been questioned.

But a swift verdict was made more unlikely last night when the board and Zappia were denied access to Hall's unedited tapes.

As well as questioning the legality of Hall's recordings, the Sharks board is also wary about whether they have been edited for broadcast. Without access to the tapes, Zappia's lawyers can argue he has been denied a proper defence.

A Sharks insider said attempts to listen to the tapes had been met with a demand from Channel 7 - which broadcast them - to release Hall's confidential deed of settlement. "We refused to do that, so we haven't been able to listen to the tapes in full,'' the insider said.

Zappia believes that by taking the matter to the police, the tapes will then be properly and independently analysed. Should police become involved, it is unlikely that Zappia could be removed while their investigation is underway.

 

[Inferno]

Glad someone finally shut David "we don't run NRL Clubs but don't have a problem telling them what to do" Gallop up.

 

[Alan Shore]

Journalist Josh Massoud who wrote of the report in yesterday's Daily Telegraph told the Herald he had seen the report in November and it had two signatures and two names on it - Zappia's and Hall's. Massoud said he believed the report he had seen was legitimate.
Massoud said the report he had seen was conducted by a private investigator and it cleared Zappia of any wrongdoing. In an article back in November, Massoud wrote " Zappia was throwing a playful punch" and he linked Hall with the drama unfolding regarding Greg Bird and his girlfriend Katie Milligan.
But sources close to the case claim there was no such independent report commissioned.
Gallop said: "We were not aware of any so called workplace report, the only report we are aware of is something the Sharks compiled internally, but we have never been given a copy of it."
Sharks media manager Rob Willis said according to the club's human resources department there was no independent workplace report, nor was there any private investigator hired to look at the issue.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/...n-zappia/2009/06/09/1244313137475.html?page=2



So we don't even know what this report is all about...WTF?

 

[myanonymoususername]

Zappia has resigned.

Source: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/nrl/story/0,27074,25621132-5016549,00.html

Tony Zappia resigns as Cronulla Sharks CEO

EXCLUSIVE by Josh Massoud | June 11, 2009 05:18pm
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EXCLUSIVE: EMBATTLED Cronulla boss Tony Zappia has resigned from his post as CEO of the Sharks following a string of crude allegations by a former female staff member. / The Daily Telegraph


TONY Zappia has this afternoon resigned from his post as CEO at Cronulla Sharks. Zappia has come under intense pressure since former employee Jenny Hall released a secretly recorded conversation in which Zappia offered her to spank him.

He was expected to defend the allegations before a meeting of the Sharks board tonight. This afternoon, Zappia and Sharks directors attended an urgent meeting at Channel 7 to listen to Hall?s unedited tapes.

Zappia made the decision to resign soon after hearing the tapes.
"Mr Tony Zappia has resigned from his position of CEO at the Cronulla Sharks, effective immediately,'' the Sharks later said in a statement.
"Mr Zappia made this decision for the benefit of the Cronulla Sharks, its supporters and sponsors.
"The Sharks have accepted Mr Zappia's resignation. In doing so, they recognise and are appreciative of his dedication to and good work for the club during the past two years as its CEO.
"In relation to recent media reporting concerning Mr Zappia, the Sharks can confirm they investigated the incident involving Ms Hall independently and concluded that Mr Zappia had engaged in no unlawful conduct.
"Both Mr Zappia and the Sharks acknowledge the harm done to both parties by the media reporting of the Ms Hall incident, in particular the reporting of the taped conversation by Channel Seven.
"The resignation of Mr Zappia allows someone else to assume the CEO role, with the Sharks board to determine a replacement at the earliest possible time.''

 

[El Diablo]

Zappia will be on Ten tonight they said. can't remember if it's Sports Tonight or that other show at 7:30pm on One HD

 

[sneagle]

Apparently he is coming up soon in an exclusive on Channel 9

 

[El Diablo]

just a teaser. they'll show the rest on The Footy Show

 

[fatshark]

he will sue big time...cant wait.

 

[myanonymoususername]

he will sue big time...cant wait.

Not sure who he'll sue though.

He's never really seriously challenged the facts as reported, and his defence until tonight looked likely to hinge on the legality of the taping of the conversation. Its going to be hard to argue he's been defamed given he's not really disputed that what has been reported is true.

Also, no point suing Jenny Hall ... she's a student, probably lives in a rented house, owns a cheap car and earns bugger all. Even if he was successful in suing her for something, he's not going to collect anything much.

Can't sue Cronulla for unfair dismissal - he wasn't sacked.

 

[Stonecutter]

Not sure who he'll sue though.

He's never really seriously challenged the facts as reported, and his defence until tonight looked likely to hinge on the legality of the taping of the conversation. Its going to be hard to argue he's been defamed given he's not really disputed that what has been reported is true.

Also, no point suing Jenny Hall ... she's a student, probably lives in a rented house, owns a cheap car and earns bugger all. Even if he was successful in suing her for something, he's not going to collect anything much.

Can't sue Cronulla for unfair dismissal - he wasn't sacked.

He'll sure her... get his $20k back. Maybe some of the money Magspigfaceny and C7 ($50k I think) gave her.

 

[sneagle]

"Tony Zappia not ruling out legal action against Seven Network

Australian Associated Press

It has been awful for my family, my kid has been teased at school and my wife and children have really been upset by the situation.
Former Cronulla CEO Tony Zappia
​

Former Cronulla chief executive Tony Zappia said he will meet with his lawyers to discuss legal options against the Seven Network after quitting his post in the wake of the black eye scandal.

Zappia resigned from the beleaguered Sharks on Thursday evening ahead of a meeting with the board where his future was to be discussed.

He`d stood down from his position earlier this week following allegations involving former employee Jenny Hall last year.

Last Sunday, Seven broadcast a covertly recorded meeting allegedly between Zappia and Hall which took place shortly after an incident where she was left with a black eye.

In the conversation Zappia is claimed to have asked Hall if she wanted to spank him as punishment and then allegedly discussed offensive images from an email during their conversation.

Zappia was cleared of any unlawful conduct by an independent investigation launched by the NRL club but agreed that his position was untenable.

He said he was relieved to have been cleared and was looking forward to spending time with his family.

"I have said from day one it was an accident and that has been shown again today," Zappia told AAP.

"I don't know how many times I have to confirm it but unfortunately some people have agendas and now I just want to move on and start afresh.

He said in regards to Channel Seven: "I haven't decided what I will do yet but I know my rights and I will sit down with my lawyers and weigh up my options."

Zappia said he made the decision to walk away from the Sharks after less than two years in the job on Thursday morning for the sake of the club and his family.

"I never met the board today, what happened was I woke up this morning, spoke to my kids and my wife and I said to her as I was having breakfast 'I think I have to walk away from the club'," he said.

"It has been awful for my family, my kid has been teased at school and my wife and children have really been upset by the situation."

Zappia's name has been linked with the vacant CEO's position at Parramatta and although he refused to say whether he would be looking for a return to an administrative position within the NRL, he hoped being cleared by the Sharks would go some way to restoring his reputation.

"I have enjoyed my time at Cronulla, it has been a very difficult job," he said.

"I am not too sure now what I will do, but I want to now look forward to the future."

A statement from the Sharks said the club accepted Zappia's resignation and recognised and appreciated his dedication to and good work for the club during the past two years.

It also said the two parties acknowledged the harm done by the media reporting of the Hall incident, in particular the reporting of the taped conversation.

NRL chief executive David Gallop said he respected the decision taken by both the Sharks and Zappia.

"Clearly there are no winners in what has been a difficult time for every party from Jenny Hall to the Cronulla board and Tony Zappia," Gallop, said in a statement.

"Tony has tonight paid a heavy price.

"That said, he is a person who has also made a positive contribution to the game in many areas and that needs to be remembered.

"I hope Tony, Jenny and the Cronulla club can each work towards more positive futures.

"The issue will hopefully serve as a reminder of the standards that need to be maintained across the game.

The Cronulla board will meet next Tuesday to discuss plans for a successor to Zappia."

http://livenews.com.au/feature/tony...action-against-seven-network/2009/6/11/209651

 

[bartman]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/...n-zappia/2009/06/09/1244313137475.html?page=2



So we don't even know what this report is all about...WTF?

Gould made a point of highlighting the legitimacy of this report during the Footy show. Said that he didn't doubt the journo had seen it, but raised questions over who actually signed the report (in dispute) and for whose eyes the report was apparently done (in dispute re Gallop's quote in linked article).

If this report cleared Zappia, and the current report also cleared Zappia, then why did he shift from "standing firm" to suddenly standing floppy and resigning?

Gus also mentioned on the footy show that they only got one third the way through the unedited tape at the Board meeting before Zappia left the room...

 

[El Diablo]

right? lol

she backtracked on her prostitutes claim already tonight

 

[Michaelson]

tbh, Magnay doesn't seem like a journalistic heavyweight. Her articles are poorly written and contain lots of insinuation at the expense of clear facts. But the story she broke was legitimate. Zappia has come out of this looking pretty bad, not because of some media agenda, but because he acted badly.

Zappia was the CEO of the club and should have known better than to do pretty much any of the things he's been said to have done. From hitting Hall, to apparently telling her that she'd be fired if she told anyone, to fudging the sick-leave papers, to dismissively saying she could spank him to even the score, to the girlie emails... Magnay said she'd stand behind her story a couple of weeks ago on the footy show, and she's pretty much been vindicated.

 

[Michaelson]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/bjacquelin-magnayb/2009/06/11/1244664795876.html

Hall says CEO left her exposed to violent threats

Jacquelin Magnay | June 12, 2009

FRESH claims about the deteriorating relationship between the Sharks chief executive Tony Zappia and former employee Jenny Hall centred on an alleged breach of trust.
The Herald can reveal the final straw in the work relationship between the two - that prompted Hall to formally set in motion a sexual-harassment claim against Zappia last November - occurred when Zappia allegedly left Hall vulnerable to threats of physical violence by a third party.
Last night, Zappia resigned as chief executive as the Sharks board was due to consider his future after an internal club investigation and responses from Zappia's legal counsel concerning the accidental punch and its aftermath.
But the Herald can reveal there had been a series of incidents leading up to the formal sexual-harassment complaint, including the accidental punch that left Hall with a severely infected black eye and the ensuing tape recording that was broadcast last Sunday by Channel Seven.
Hall had detailed in writing to the club that Zappia had called her a stripper, that he made a sexual reference to her about "a handy", and that he made comments about her bottom being exposed when she bent over.
But the tipping point happened in late October and early November last year. Hall told the Herald she was wrongly accused of being caught in the middle of a player contract negotiation. She claims Zappia told a player manager that information a female colleague had provided about the player to the club was a reason the club decided not to offer a contract to the player.
Hall became aware of this when she started to receive serious threats of violence from associates of the player. She was upset at being threatened and that she had been used as an excuse to not sign the player.
Zappia denied talking about a female colleague to the player manager when Hall confronted him about it. However, while Zappia was in the same room, Hall said she contacted the player and on speaker phone asked him directly if Zappia had given her name to him. The player allegedly said Zappia had told both himself and his manager about the "female colleague" at the Sharks.
Hall said in the conversation that followed Zappia denied what the player had said and accused the player of lying or that Hall had set him up.
Hall then claims Zappia said he would phone the player and tell him that Hall had said other things about him. Hall then accused Zappia of being a grub and unethical. This tit-for-tat exchange occurred in the football offices at the Sharks, and much of it was witnessed by a third person, Hall said.

 

[myanonymoususername]

More news from the Tony Zappia fan club, aka Josh Massoud.

Ryan Tandy source of Tony Zappia, Jenny Hall Sharks feud


Article from:
By Josh Massoud
June 12, 2009 12:00am

MELBOURNE lower-grade prop Ryan Tandy has emerged as the unlikely source of the poisonous feud between Jenny Hall and Tony Zappia that has kept Cronulla mired in controversy.
Zappia and Hall were in a meeting last October when coach Ricky Stuart interrupted to get the CEO's thoughts on Tandy, then a free agent after finishing 2008 at Wests Tigers.
A Sharks insider takes up the story: "When Ricky asked the question, Jenny piped up and said Ryan shouldn't be at the club because of his behaviour away from football. She reckoned her friends had told her he got up to no good.
"What she said got back to Ryan, who wasn't real happy. When a mutual friend told Jenny, she thought Zappia had leaked what she said in the meeting. She blew up at Zap and things were never the same after that."
The meeting took place almost three months after Hall accidentally suffered a black eye while shadow boxing with Zappia on August 9. What also hasn't been revealed is that Hall was taking boxing lessons at the time, which led to the pair playfully shaping up.
Sharks staff say she exhibited no ill-will between then and the meeting in which Tandy's name was raised. But within the next few weeks she accused Zappia of sexual harassment and assault, before leaving her post in November.