http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010 ... ion=justin
Waldron tight-lipped on Storm rorts
Updated April 22, 2010 19:05:00
Former Melbourne Storm chief executive Brian Waldron is refusing to comment on his alleged role in the club's rorting of the NRL salary cap.
The NRL announced on Thursday that the Storm, with whom Waldron served as chief executive from November 2004 until January this year, have been stripped of two premierships, three minor premierships and fined a total of $1.6 million for massive breaches of the salary cap rules.
They have also been stripped of all competition points accumulated this season and will not be playing for points for the remainder of the campaign.
An audit found the Storm had been operating two sets of books to hide salary cap breaches from the NRL.
Additional payments amounted to $1.7 million over five years and $700,000 in 2010.
The ABC contacted Waldron, but he has refused to comment on the matter.
Waldron announced in January he was quitting the Storm to join the Melbourne Rebels, who enter the expanded Super 15 in 2011, and it was seen as a coup for the new franchise, considering his background not just in rugby league but also with AFL club St Kilda.
Rebels coach Rod Macqueen says it will be the franchise's board who will decide on the future of Waldron in light of his alleged role in the Storm's rorting of the salary cap.
Macqueen said the NRL may take its own action against Waldron.
"I guess the board would make those sort of decisions of our particular franchise," he told the ABC.
"Certainly it's a rugby league issue from my perspective. I don't know enough about it to comment."
The Rebels have confirmed Waldron is "taking some advice" and their board will be meeting on Friday morning.
Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O'Neill says he has spoken with Rebels chairman Harold Mitchell and the franchise is closely monitoring the situation.
"Harold Mitchell and I have talked several times this afternoon, they've got the matter in hand," he said.
"They're Brian Waldron's employer and they're looking at the matter accordingly."
News Limited, who own the Storm, was represented at Thursday's NRL media conference with its chairman John Hartigan accusing Waldron of being the main "architect" behind the rorting of the salary cap.
He says there is no place for Waldron in Australian professional sport.
"In my view if we are to be honest as a company and as a sport, than we should look further than rugby league," Hartigan said.
"We don't want people like that in sport in Australia."
