The Adelaide Crows were once seen as the pin up club of the AFL. They have a large supporter base, good attendances, fantastic administration, a safe future in an AFL heartland, no player scandals, and they always adhere to the AFL’s rules.
That is until revelations regarding draft tampering and breaching the salary cap with ruckman-forward Kurt Tippett surfaced.
It is believed that the Crows had an agreement in place to send Tippett to his club of choice in return for a second round draft pick and $200,000 to be paid outside the salary cap.
Key players in this alleged deal include Adelaide CEO Stephen Trigg, Former football manager John Reid, Tippett’s manager Peter Blucher, current Adelaide football operations manager Phil Harper and Tippett himself.
As this is still an ongoing investigation, I cannot make any absolute statements about the issue. However I can offer an opinion.
I believe that if the allegations are true it’s a damaging look for the club, which then affects South Australian football.
At a time when both Adelaide clubs are preparing for a move to the Adelaide Oval, with the Crows are challenging for the premiership and Port moving up the ladder, it was absolutely crucial that everything went to plan.
There needed to be a smooth transition to the Oval and that the two clubs would receive the money they deserve.
Remember what happened to Carlton in 2002? They were fined just under $1 million and stripped of their draft picks. In the next five years they’d win three wooden spoons.
I sure as hell don’t want a similar thing happening to the Crows.
If they are guilty then I have no issue in the AFL handing out punishments, however people have to realise that the Crows are not alone in this.
Kurt Tippett would have conditions regarding draft tampering and breaching the salary cap included in his registration with the AFL. As he signed the documents he agreed to not partake in such activities.
If this incident is true, then he is just as much to fault as the Crows are.
Tippett’s manager Peter Blucher would have had to sign a similar thing in his agent registration with the AFL, so he would have also breached the conditions.
If the allegations are true, then no one is innocent.
Everyone knew what they were doing. Adelaide wanted to retain Tippett, and Tippett wanted a nice pay packet and to have ultimate control of his destiny come the end of 2012, irrespective of the AFL’s rules.
So what do we make of all of this?
For starters, Tippett wasn’t worth the money or the trouble, but then again, hindsight’s a wonderful thing. The Adelaide Crows were stupid in their handling of the situation and they should have done everything to ensure his signature within the rule book.
The most significant thing however, is the potentially damaging reputation of a proud football club. When people talk about the Adelaide Football Club in the future, I hope it’s of a positive nature, speaking of the level of integrity and dignity the club exudes.
However, if Adelaide is found to have been guilty of draft tampering and breaching the salary cap, I fear that such a reputation will no longer exist.
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