by DOC » Sun Dec 10, 2023 7:40 am
Footy legend Andrew Jarman has denied claims he instigated an illegal signon payment arrangement that led to his childhood club being fined $380,000
and stripped of premiership points.
The Sunday Mail can also disclose that SANFL did not investigate the
allegations involving the former coach of the Gaza Football Club in the early
stages of its probe into alleged salary cap breaches.
In a statement to the SANFL in March, former Gaza captain Brett Heintze
identified Mr Jarman as the alleged orchestrator of the arrangement, under
which Mr Heintze received a $4000 sign-on payment to play for the club.
But Mr Jarman said he was not aware of any allegations, which he has
emphatically denied, until contacted by the Sunday Mail for comment.
“I have never been investigated. It’s disappointing to hear,” he said. In
September, SANFL fined the club $380,000 for alleged salary cap breaches
between 2018 and 2022, which included the sign-on payments to Mr Heintze,
as well as matchday payments to several other players. It is understood Mr
Heintze was the only player who received the sign-on payment and the
majority of the breaches relate to weekly player payments.
Under the regulations, weekly match payments paid by a club cannot exceed
$2500 and sign-on payments are banned. In a statement, the SANFL said the
club had been “charged with offences relating to serious breaches of the
SANFL Community Football Player Payments regulations”.
Mr Heintze alleged that the sign-on payments began in 2018 when Mr
Jarman, who won two Magarey Medals and is an Adelaide Football Club life
member, was coaching the club.
Mr Heintze told SANFL integrity officers Mr Jarman approached him before
the 2018 season offering a $4000 sign on payment as an incentive when he
expressed interest in leaving Gaza after he was offered full immunity from
any potential SANFL prosecution.
“He was the one I spoke to,” Mr Heintze said.
“I spoke to him rather than the (club) committee.”
Mr Jarman has denied any knowledge of the sign-on payments.
“We never did sign-on fees,” he said.
Gaza president Don Rosella was also banned from holding an official position
with any SANFL-affiliated club for 10 years as a result of the investigation.
Gaza Football Club, which has denied any wrongdoing or having any
knowledge of the sign-on payments, is appealing against the penalties.
The club’s lawyer Greg Griffin said the SANFL’s investigation into the alleged
breaches was “deeply flawed” and that the investigators’ process was
“unsafe”.
Mr Griffin said it was “deeply troubling” that Jarman had not been asked to
provide a statement despite Mr Heintze’s allegations.
The SANFL declined to comment on its investigation or the allegations
against Mr Jarman.