Tiger trio's Torquay property dispute
Damian Barrett | February 09, 2009 12:00am
THREE Richmond players are plotting legal action against the club's former president Clinton Casey in disputed property deals.
Matthew Richardson, Nathan Brown and Kane Johnson yesterday met a barrister in the Melbourne CBD, seeking resolution on deals relating to Torquay properties bought from a Casey-controlled company.
The players claim they were promised financial returns that have not materialised.</p>
There has been a widely held belief in football that Richmond used the vast land holdings of Casey as a ploy to retain key players and lure others from opposition clubs, raising suggestions of breaches of salary cap.
Casey, Richmond president from 2000 to 2005, and the Tigers recently settled out of court a legal dispute involving former Tiger player Ben Holland.
Holland lodged documents in the Supreme Court claiming he was owed more than $500,000 after being promised by Casey a number of investment and business opportunities that he claimed were not delivered.
The Holland case carried potential salary cap ramifications for the Tigers.
Current Richmond president Gary March said last night the matter involving Richardson, Brown and Johnson did not have such implications.
"This is like a number of other player deals relating to third party property deals," March said.
"I don't see any issue. It is an issue the players are trying to resolve themselves, in relation to some property they own.
"There is definitely no salary cap related issue."
AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said all football payments received by AFL-listed players needed to be declared.
"Any football payments must be disclosed to Ken Wood, the AFL's Total Player Payments Assurance and Advice manager, and if there have been arrangements involving football payments not previously disclosed, then Ken Wood will be taking it further," Anderson said last night.
While the Tigers are not officially involved in the legal considerations of Richardson, Brown and Johnson against their former president, they have been well briefed on developments.
It is understood last month had been identified as the time the players believed they would settle on the deals with Casey, but that a number of factors, including the worldwide economic downturn, had had a major impact on the value of the properties.
It is believed the Tigers players are advanced in their legal considerations against Casey.
"At the moment, it has got nothing to do with the club. If we need to get involved, we will get involved, but I don't think there is anything for us to get involved in," March said.
It is believed players and officials from other AFL clubs have also invested in land controlled by Casey-owned companies.
Casey and Richardson could not be contacted.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25033086-19742,00.html