King could sue over 'role' in coach sagaEmma Quayle | May 24, 2009
The Age
RICHMOND defender Jake King, distressed at having been falsely implicated in a supposed player-driven plot to remove coach Terry Wallace last week, is considering his legal options.
King's management company yesterday categorically denied claims made on Thursday's Footy Show that the defender was with captain Chris Newman when Newman spoke with Wallace last Monday afternoon, saying that while King had earlier been discussing the mood of the player group with the coach, he had stood up and left before coach and captain began speaking.
It has been reported that Newman suggested Wallace should resign, saying communication between player and coach had broken down, before regretting the conversation later that night.
As a subsequent meeting took place between Wallace, president Gary March, football chief Craig Cameron and several senior players early the following morning, reports surfaced on radio and the internet declaring Wallace had been sacked. Richmond promptly denied that Wallace had been fired at any point, or that he was going to be.
Alex McDonald, King's manager, said the former rookie-listed backman was extremely grateful for the opportunity Richmond had given him, had no idea what was said between Wallace and Newman — a conversation the coach insisted on Friday would remain private — and would have his legal avenues explored. "All those things will be considered. That's our responsibility as his management and we'll make sure we get some sort of consultation from the right channels and advise Jake accordingly. Jake couldn't be more comfortable at the club. He loves the club and he is more than grateful for how they've supported him," McDonald told The Sunday Age yesterday.
"Jake was definitely in the room with Terry. He was there to talk about the mood and morale of the group as one of the young leaders — to have a discussion as any player would — but he got up and left. The coach and captain stayed in the room and what was said then, nobody knows but them.
"Jake's been caught up in this. He's bitterly disappointed and it's very disappointing that he's been dragged into something he has nothing to do with. I'm not sure who informed The Footy Show, but someone's put two and two together and come up with five.
"I know the club's under pressure and that the coach is as well, but we've got to be mindful that when you've got careers and personal lives and all these things being impacted, you just need to exercise due care with what you're reporting. Jake has no idea what was said between Chris and Terry, because he wasn't in the room with them."
On Friday, Wallace supported his new captain and said Newman had been "unfairly tainted" last week. "I think Chris has been hung out to dry in all this," he said. "I'm sitting here saying I've taken no offence to things that Chris Newman has spoken about."
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