Adelaide Crows and Brett Burton come to settlement agreement after he challenged his dismissal from the club
Sacked Adelaide Crows football manager Brett Burton was prepared to fight the club in court over his dismissal. That was until the two parties reached a settlement agreement this week.
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Adelaide has this week closed the book on its post-season clean-out by settling with outgoing football manager Brett Burton after he argued unfair dismissal and reputational damage over his sacking.
Burton took legal action and was understood to be prepared to go to court before the two parties agreed on his payout after protracted negotiations this week.
The former high-flying forward who played 177 games with the Crows became a victim of the internal and external reviews at Adelaide, which also claimed assistant coach Scott Camporeale and were preceded by senior coach Don Pyke’s resignation.
It is understood that Pyke and Camporeale’s contracts were paid out in part but Burton, who was on staff at West Lakes, was angered at the reasons for his sacking and the way it was communicated and challenged the club’s initial payout offer.
Burton was contacted by The Advertiser on Friday, but said he preferred not to comment.
Adelaide also declined to comment on the matter but issued a statement from a club spokesman which said: “It would be inappropriate for us to discuss these confidential matters involving those who no longer work at the club.”
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It finally brings an end to a tumultuous three months at Adelaide which started with Pyke’s resignation on September 12 after the Crows missed the finals for the past two years, continued with a Jason Dunstall and Matthew Pavlich-led review and Burton and Camporeale’s sacking which was announced on October 10.
At the time the club said the personnel and structural changes were unanimously endorsed by the board “after giving consideration to the review findings, coupled with an overwhelming desire to refresh the football department of a new senior coach”.
Burton was appointed Adelaide’s head of football in November 2016, when he was promoted from his then position of high performance general manager which he had held for a year.
He had previously worked with the Brisbane Lions and with the AFL Players’ Association.
Adelaide appointed former Power and GWS assistant Matthew Nicks as its new senior coach on October 14 and just this week announced experienced SANFL administrator Adam Kelly would be its new head of football.
It is yet to announce who will fill its newly-created position of head of leadership and culture.
Money paid to Burton, Camporeale and Pyke will fall under Adelaide’s football department soft cap, but in October chief executive Andrew Fagan said the club was prepared to go over and pay the tax to ensure its football program was not compromised.
“If we are required to pay some tax for a period of time we will,” Fagan said.
“That is why we work so hard to ensure the club is healthy off-field.
“Any of this change process and people moving on won’t affect any element of the football program.
“That is really important to know.”
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