Former Cricket Australia director Mark Taylor has defended his board’s decision not to make Tim Paine’s sexting investigation public in 2018, claiming it was best for the game and all involved.
The fallout from Paine’s resignation continued on Sunday, with multiple former board members hitting back at current management’s claims they would have sacked the wicketkeeper as captain at the time.
Paine was cleared of any misconduct in a 2018 integrity unit investigation, after he sent lewd messages and a graphic image to a Cricket Tasmania colleague.
CA have come under intense criticism for not revealing the investigation at the time, before the incident blew up in Paine’s resignation on Friday.
Taylor was a member of the CA board for 13 years before resigning in late 2018, as one of the final casualties of the ball-tampering saga.
He agreed the call was right for Paine to stand down now the incident had become public, but defended the decision for that not to happen in 2018.
“A decision was taken by the integrity unit and supported by the board to keep this in house,” Taylor told the Nine Network.
“There’s obviously been a lot of conjecture about the rights and wrongs of that.
“That decision was made not just on what is best for cricket, but what was best for Tim Paine, Bonnie Paine and also the woman involved.”
Taylor also defended the culture of the sport’s governance, with that era again called into question following the Paine revelations.
His then-chairman David Peever joined him in doing so, before accusing the current board of “abandoning” Payne with a “knee-jerk reaction” in a statement to News Corp.
Taylor also took a subtle jab at new chairman Richard Freudenstein and his claims his board would have acted differently to the previous one.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
“Three-and-a-half or four years of hindsight is a wonderful thing,” Taylor said.
“I don’t know if he has any more information, that the integrity unit had of Cricket Australia in 2018.
“It’s interesting to note that even now, having said that … they didn’t stand Tim down.
“He stood down, he resigned himself.”
Meanwhile Paine’s weekend admission he knew the story would one day break leaves further questions about current CA management’s decision not to revisit the investigation.
Paine confirmed there had been “numerous times” where media agencies had made enquiries about the story, but it had not been published.
“I knew it was going to come out at some point, as much as I didn’t want it to,” Paine told News Corp in an interview alongside a supporting wife.
Freudenstein and chief executive Nick Hockley regularly pointed out in a press conference on Saturday that any decisions were made before their time.
The pair also confirmed they were made aware of the investigation when they joined the organisation in 2019 and 2020 respectively, but did not delve deeper into the case.
“I was given a very high-level briefing that there had been an incident,” Freudenstein said.
“A thorough investigation and no misconduct found. There was no reason to investigate that further at that stage
“Once you have a private matter that has been subject to a full integrity unit investigation, it wouldn’t be normal for that to be part of the handover.”
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
A. He wasn't in a leadership position when he sent it. B. He wasn't in a corporate environment. Maybe you should study the facts a little closer.
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
The media, who are judge, jury and executioner, got a hold of it. What is reasonable doesn't matter to them. The scary thing is that they are the moral arbiters of our society.
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
For something that happened when we wasn't in that position, unlikely.
JGK
Roar Guru
Should I take that as a yes?
U
Roar Rookie
In the real world, Paine’s position was untenable.
U
Roar Rookie
How’d that work out?
U
Roar Rookie
Sending dic picks when in a leadership position in a corporate environment is pretty far from pure
U
Roar Rookie
Whataboutism.
U
Roar Rookie
The quicker Australian cricket gets rid of these dinosaurs the better. You can’t be mates or teammates with everyone in a corporate environment
The PTA has disbanded
Guest
It's only right until you get caught. Then it's wrong. Don't get caught. No justice in this world.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Yes. Seems like the txts didn't come from her.
Kim Hughes 1980
Roar Rookie
If they did consider it at the time they made the decision, they probably concluded that she would not release. If they concluded she would release, they probably would not have allowed Paine to captain.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
You probably answered that with your comment.
Clear as mud
Guest
i seemed to read that his availability was part of some negotation notwithstanding "standing down was all my decision"/ did i misunderstand that?
Chanon
Roar Rookie
Paine took 6 catches today he looks like a lock for 1st test.
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
I am outraged by the attitude that because people are famous or make a lot of money they don't have the right to privacy or should be held to a different standard. It's just too easy to sit behind a keyboard and throw stones and hold people to standards people would never hold themselves to.
Chanon
Roar Rookie
He won’t last he will be flushed very shortly! :laughing:
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I've dealt with that once or 245 times.
JGK
Roar Guru
What, so you want to hold our sportsmen to a stricter moral code than we do our politicians?
Jeff
Roar Rookie
This CA Chair has said Paine is available for selection, so that is the end of any involvement from anyone other than the selectors or Paine as to Paine’s immediate playing future. I expect he is the preferred keeper for the series by the selectors but will miss the First Test due to not being fully recovered from his neck operation.