A senior NRL employee has been accused of trying to covertly record a meeting with players amid rugby league’s bitter pay war.
Rugby League Players Association chief Deidre Anderson fired off an email to Australian Rugby League chairman Peter V’landys and his board on Tuesday, declaring players were incensed that a NRL executive had allegedly recorded conversations at the annual Leaders in League conference last Friday, where NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo came face to face with about 60 players.
However, it was the presence of an uninvited NRL employee – whom the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have opted to not name – which sparked concern.
Anderson’s letter, seen by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, says “that upon arrival, Andrew [Abdo] was accompanied by [an NRL employee] … this was disappointing given [the employee] was not invited, nor had Andrew given any forewarning that [the employee] would be attending.”
“Nevertheless, RLPA management (with the consent of player leaders), allowed (the employee) to sit in on Andrew’s discussion out of respect for [their] role … To ensure an open and honest environment for Andrew and the players, no filming or recording of this session was permitted and no media representatives were present.
“What then followed is nothing short of illegal which, on its face, seriously calls into question the integrity of the NRL, its executive and its culture. I am instructed that a player (who I will not name), raised concerns with RLPA staff that (the employee) was covertly recording the session on [their] phone. The player raised the concern based on their understanding that attendees were not permitted to record these discussions.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo fronted the players on Friday.Credit:SMH
“An RLPA staff member queried with (the official) as to whether [they were] recording, which (the official) denied (twice). Upon further inquiry by the staff member, [they] lifted [their] phone (which was face down) and realised that the screen clearly showed that a recording was taking place. [They] then asked to speak to the staff member outside, and the two left the room in full view of all players in attendance.
“Once outside, (the official) admitted to recording the conversation and acknowledged it was inappropriate for [them] to be doing so. Further, (the employee) stated that [they] had been acting under the instruction of another NRL executive. After the session, [RPLA CEO] Clint [Newton] addressed the matter separately with (the official) and Andrew, and advised that the playing group and the RLPA are aware of the incident due to the public nature of what unfolded, and that the RLPA will need to appropriately consider our options with next steps given the seriousness of the matter.
“Now I don’t feel I need to state how concerning these actions were. The deliberate and covert nature of the recording is breathtaking. It is immoral, unethical and illegal. There was no consent granted to record. In fact, no attempt to seek consent occurred.”
V’landys told the Herald and The Age he would investigate the matter and get to the bottom of the situation.
“We’ve received a private and confidential letter, so I don’t wish to comment on the letter,” V’landys said.
“But I have given commitments to the chairman of the RLPA and one of the player representatives, and I will follow through on that commitment. I will 100 per cent delivering on my commitment to them.”
This masthead has spoken with players in attendance who have confirmed the events. One player, who did not wish to be named, said: “This is really disappointing, coming at a time when we were hoping to build trust with the NRL.”
Anderson, in her letter, wrote last week’s meeting had been productive.
“It is unfortunate though that we are still not aligned on the important role of the RLPA in representing the players. To that end we must agree to disagree on several of the issues that you have raised,” Anderson said.
“I cannot stress enough our concern for how far our sport is lagging the other codes, especially in terms of player rights, and if we do not close this gap it will only widen over the next five years.”
There has been the threat of strike action from players heading into the new season, as the NRL and the game’s stars remain apart on several issues.
