Gallop refutes Waldron cap amnesty claim - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Gallop refutes Waldron cap amnesty claim

By Ian McCullough 27/04/2010 06:31:48 PM Comments (0)

NRL chief David Gallop has strongly denied ruling out a salary cap amnesty out of concern that the rorts revealed would damage the game's reputation.

That claim reportedly came from embattled former Melbourne Storm chief executive Brian Waldron, who says he told Gallop in 2007 of widespread salary cap cheating and suggested an amnesty.

"At no stage would I have ever told him that it was not possible to grant an amnesty because of `concerns about the sport's reputation'," said Gallop in a statement on Tuesday.

"That is rejected totally and the statement would be at complete odds with the actions we have taken in relation to the enforcement of the salary cap and the penalties that we have enforced.

Gallop noted those included over 50 breaches totalling around $3.5 million prior to the toughest sanctions of them all against Melbourne last week.

Waldron has been described as the chief architect of the Storm's salary cap scandal, which saw the club stripped of their 2007 and 2009 premierships, fined heavily and banned from earning any competition points in 2010.

"I have said that while I had no recollection of the conversation (with Waldron), it was something he may have said but something also that would not have seemed significant to me because a number of people had suggested amnesties from time to time," added Gallop.

"The reason that amnesties were not considered, and will not be considered, is that the line was drawn in the sand with the Bulldogs in 2002.

"It is impossible to take the action we did in relation to the Bulldogs and grant amnesties to others.

"We owe that to the players, the fans and the officials of the Bulldogs.

Gallop had a "positive" meeting with players' association boss David Garnsey on Thursday to discuss the Storm players' predicament.

He said they agreed to continue to support existing provisions related to any move for access to financial records of individual players.

But he noted the NRL probe was more directed at club officials "who were aware of the Storm's overall salary cap provisions".

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