Six player agents to be named in NRL report

Six agents to be named in NRL report about Parramatta Eels salary cap scandalChris Barrettto six agents are set to feature in an NRL report after an investigation by the game's integrity unit into the role of player managers in the Parramatta salary cap scandal.The Sydney offices of four of the game's leading agents – Wayne Beavis, Sam Ayoub, George Mimis and Paul Sutton – were raided by officers from the State Crime Command's Strike Force Rhodium on Thursday.The NRL's integrity unit has been working with police but has also conducted its own investigation, the findings of which are to be forwarded to the Agent Accreditation Committee within the next fortnight.It can be revealed that the names of up to six player agents are likely to be included in the report.The NRL does not have direct power to take action against player agents but will forward a brief to Paul Massey, the head of the code's accredited player agent scheme, who could recommend suspensions.A spokesman for the NRL said the integrity unit review of agents was expected to be provided to the player agents committee soon.Raid: Detectives leave the office of NRL player agent Wayne Beavis.Raid: Detectives leave the office of NRL player agent Wayne Beavis. Photo: Nick MoirPolice on Thursday seized player contract documents from the offices of agents and said later their probe was "focused on finances derived by the club through false or inflated invoices from suppliers"."Investigators have information to suggest that false invoices were submitted and paid off with a secondary area of interest relating to the movement of that money and its final destination," Detective Superintendent Arthur Katsogiannis said."This has led us to investigation [of] possible criminal offences including fraud and money laundering."The NRL, in stating its reasons for the stripping of 12 competition points from Parramatta this year and the deregistration of five officials, determined that inflated invoices had been used for third-party agreements for players that breached salary cap rules.In its findings the NRL concluded that former Eels chief executive Scott Seward had "facilitated what are in substance sham TPAs which a player entered into with a club contractor and where the TPA was funded by payments made by the club to the contractor through disguised or inflated invoices".Third-party arrangements for Jarryd Hayne and Anthony Watmough were cited as prime examples.In total, 20 TPAs for 13 players from seasons 2014 to 2016, totalling $775,000, were listed as having been in contravention of salary cap rules.The integrity unit, headed by Nick Weeks, has since directed its attention to the "second phase" of its Parramatta investigation, focused on the role played by agents. A third phase, looking into whether any players have a case to answer, has been foreshadowed.Under the regulations of the player agent scheme managers must "not counsel, procure, aid or assist any player" to contravene any of the provisions of the NRL rules.The operation of player agents has been an area of concern for administrators, particularly as the NRL does not have jurisdiction over them and they are not beholden to the competition's rules.The four agents whose offices were raided are among the most influential in the game. Beavis represents Hayne, while Ayoub has a host of the code's top players on his books and had hooker Nathan Peats at the Eels before his move to Gold Coast Titans. Mimis and Sutton operate the powerful SFX Sports, which listed Watmough as a client and until recently represented former Parramatta captain Kieran Foran.http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/six-agents-to-be-named-in-nrl-report-about-parramatta-eels-salary-cap-scandal-20161020-gs72fi.html

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Replies

Yobz October 21, 2016 at 4:52am

I wonder if any of those agents had a second player contract still laying around?
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER October 21, 2016 at 5:35am

So will the nrl take more points of us next year
- Kurupt > ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER October 21, 2016 at 7:23am
  
  Unlikely. They didn't want to take any points this year, but with the mountain of leaked info and the ensuing media circus their hand was forced.
- Glenn Lifetime Eel > ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER October 21, 2016 at 10:16am
  
  Doubt it Paul, can't be punished twice for the same crime...can you?
  
  Why has this taken so long after being mentioned by NRL months back? Is this to give agents time to clean up their books so Bulldogs don't get implicated when Greenberg in charge?
Longfin Eel October 21, 2016 at 6:32am

The alegations against the club are nothing new. I just hope that all involved have moved on. The NRL does seem to only believe what the media says so I hope they treat this issue with the respect it deserves. The naming of Seward is interesting - he got off Scott free last time. He may even implicate Greenberg which is a very interesting scenario!
- CarloEEL2 > Longfin Eel October 21, 2016 at 6:40am
  
  Bloody fingers crossed. That would be better viewing than the new Gilmore girls or twin peaks!!!
- Kurupt > Longfin Eel October 21, 2016 at 7:24am
  
  Nice pun.
Mac5733 October 21, 2016 at 6:44am

can we get rid of Jennings just in case?????
- Mitchy > Mac5733 October 21, 2016 at 9:24am
  
  Maybe you should look at his stats. He had a decent season.
macybrown October 21, 2016 at 6:57am

Hope they investigate all the dealings the managers had with all their players. Unlikely that they just operated a certain way with only the parra players.
Sam Ayoub is Milfords manager. Wonder how he helped ease the dilemma of his homesickness v the massive raiders offer?

Still can't help but feel there was some sort of deal struck between Beavis and NRL to get Hayne up there. My woman's intuition is telling me something was very wrong in the negotiation process. Doubt that Beavis will have an NRL case to answer somehow even though there was enough on him right from the get go of our investigation.

Interesting Foz recently sacked his manager.