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The NRL has dropped a second bombshell in a whirlwind few hours, with Wests Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe facing deregistration for his role in a player payment scandal.
In a statement released by the league – the same one where punishments were proposed for the Sharks and Shane Flanagan – the Tigers were issued a breach notice after they were found to have made an undisclosed payment to Robbie Farah in 2016 that should have been included in the salary cap.
A deal was reportedly struck – before Farah left for South Sydney – to pay the former captain $639,000 to rejoin the Tigers as an ambassador at the end of his career.
But the NRL found that payment should not only have been disclosed, but also included in the salary cap.
A fine of $750,000 has been proposed, while the league is also moving to include the $639,000 payment in the Tigers’ 2019 salary cap figure.
The big news, however, is the notice of intention issued to CEO Justin Pascoe that would see his registration cancelled.
Like the Shane Flanagan news, the findings are preliminary and both Pascoe and the Tigers have until the end of January to respond to the allegations.
In that time, however, Pascoe will not be permitted to act in an official capacity with the club.
The NRL statement cleared Farah of any wrongdoing.
The Tigers have also issued a statement of their own in response, claiming to be “shocked with the decision and extremely disappointed in the process”, while also vowing to “vigorously defend” the charge.
In the statement, the club claimed the arrangement with Farah was “unrelated to his career as a player”, and was nothing more than an olive branch being extended to the star hooker by then-new CEO Pascoe.
Pascoe had “felt that the club had disrespected Robbie and [the payment] was a way to show him the respect that Justin felt he deserved.”
“Most importantly Wests Tigers derive absolutely no advantage from this arrangement. It is not tied in any way to Robbie’s playing contract.
“Wests Tigers are particularly concerned about the wrongful attack on the integrity of the club’s CEO. For the last three years Justin has shown nothing but respect for the NRL and the salary cap.”
