Former Collingwood star Dayne Beams claims his contract payout was ‘outside’ salary cap and did not impact club’s financial woes

Mental health in the past has not been seen as a career-ending AFL injury. But new details in the Dayne Beams payout saga has brought that into question.

Dayne Beams played nine games in his second stint at Collingwood.

Collingwood is believed to have included a portion of Dayne Beams’ severance package in its injury allowance and outside the salary cap.

It would mean that Beams’ mental health concerns were classed as an injury.

The AFL confirmed on Monday night it had approved the Beams payout and “they are in accordance with AFL rules governing the Total Player Payments”.

The 2010 premiership star had not played since mid-2019, firstly because of a hip injury before Collingwood confirmed in December that year he was taking an indefinite mental health break.

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He admitted publicly that his car crash in February last year was deliberate and a cry for help after a tumultuous few years that included his father’s death.

In the past, mental health has not been viewed as a career-ending injury.

This is not expected to change in the wake of the Beams deal.

The injury allowance is available to every AFL club.

Dayne Beams surrounded by some of his artwork at his Health of Mind Art studio. Picture: David Caird

The 31-year-old midfielder officially retired in November last year, when his management, Connors Sports, and the Magpies reached an AFL-approved settlement agreement.

Collingwood allocated a percentage of Beams’ payments to its injury allowance and the rest to the salary cap.

The Herald Sun can also reveal that Beams’ payout does not include payments this season or next.

Beams last week claimed he had been paid outside the salary cap to separate himself from the negative commentary surrounding Collingwood’s disastrous trade period wage dump.

Beams signed a four-year deal to return to the Pies from Brisbane – where he moved to be closer to his father – at the end of the 2018 season, which cost Collingwood two first-round draft picks within the package.

What was initially going to be a back-ended contract was instead front-ended.

The remaining amount owed to Beams was then crunched, like all players, because of last year’s Covid-19 circumstances that saw them take a pay cut.

Like other footballers who retired early, such as Western Bulldogs’ Tom Boyd and Hawk Jon Patton, Beams did not receive the full amount of his initial contract.

The AFL issued a statement on Monday night to the Herald Sun to “reiterate that it does not provide comment on individual contracts”.

“But it is important to understand that the Collingwood contract, like all contracts and settlements lodged by all clubs for all players, must be and has been approved by the AFL,” the statement said.

“(They) are only approved if they are in accordance with AFL rules governing the Total Player Payments (TPP) arrangements and allowances associated with the TPP.”

The AFL statement said ensuring no club had an “unfair competitive advantage” was a priority.

RIVAL CLUBS’ FEARS OVER BEAMS PAYOUT BOMBSHELL

Collingwood will pay Dayne Beams a portion of his salary both in and outside the salary cap until the end of his four-season deal at the end of 2022.

The Herald Sun understands the confidential deal was struck with full AFL approval after a Collingwood submission about the extraordinary circumstances of his retirement.

Beams retired last November with two years left on his deal, admitting to the Herald Sun’s Sacked podcast he had battled with gambling and painkilling tablet addictions.

The AFL has repeatedly refused to clarify the circumstances of what is effectively an exemption for the Pies, which means they will not pay all of that money in the salary cap.

On a back-ended deal that meant he was owed well over $1 million in the last two years of his contract, the Pies and Beams’ management eventually agreed to a settlement figure.

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Collingwood training at Olympic Park... Collingwood's Dayne Beams . Pic: Michael Klein.

Beams said last week his settlement was not inside the cap, attempting to clarify that he was not the cause of the Pies’ current salary cap issues.

The AFL decision will help the Pies to correct their cap position, which was so diabolical they were forced to move on Jaidyn Stephenson, Tom Phillips and Adam Treloar.

Rival clubs are concerned it could set a precedent for players who retire with mental health issues, with the integrity of the salary cap one of the most important pillars of the league.

The league’s own exemptions over mental health issues also means players who are battling with issues do not record positive strikes under the illicit drugs code as they seek treatment.

Beams has conceded he deliberately crashed his car in a cry for help at one stage, so deep was his depression.

“I didn’t want it to be fatal, I didn’t want to die but it was a cry, it was a massive cry ... I needed help,” he said.

It is not known exactly what aspects of his submission convinced the league to allow some of that salary to be outside of the cap.

The league has also not disclosed how many other players have had retirement payments allowed outside of the salary cap because of mental health issues.

AFL football operations boss Steve Hocking said on Saturday all contracts were approved by the league.

“I can’t comment on individual cases. I’ll also acknowledge that it doesn’t sit in my area,” Hocking said.

“What I will acknowledge is that all of the Collingwood player contracts and every player contract across the competition has to be approved by the AFL.

“It doesn’t sit in my particular area. Andrew Dillon (AFL general counsel) and his team look after this. They work closely with the clubs, and they work closely with the clubs.

“Every player’s contract has to be approved and submitted from the club to the AFL for approval.”

BEAMS’ PAYOUT CLAIMS HIT BRICK WALL

The AFL is refusing to confirm whether any of Collingwood premiership star Dayne Beams’ contract payout was outside the salary cap.

Beams put the topic back on the agenda this week when he distanced himself from the Pies’ salary cap woes, claiming that “anything” to do with his payout was “outside the cap”.

The 31-year-old’s comments raised eyebrows at rival clubs.

Beams’ retirement was sealed in November, but he hadn’t played since mid-2019, because of a hip injury then an indefinite mental health break.

He had two seasons to run on the four-year contract he signed after leaving Brisbane for a second stint in black and white, which cost Collingwood two first-round draft picks as part of the package.

The AFL has refused to weigh into the claims made by Dayne Beams.

News Corp asked the AFL about Beams’ situation for a second-straight day without receiving an answer or any clarity on the accuracy of the midfielder’s comments.

Among the questions were whether any of the payout was excluded from the salary cap, if mental health qualified as a career-ending condition and whether the AFL covered the payment in that scenario.

Ex-Bulldog Tom Boyd retired in early 2019 for mental and physical reasons, electing to accept a reduced monetary figure for that season and forgoing payment for the final two years of his deal.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan added more intrigue to Beams’ situation on Friday, saying “generally all player payments are within the cap”, even in the case of a payout.

“I don’t have any detail around that,” McLachlan told 3AW.

“There may be exemptions or specific reasons or things that sit outside the cap.

“There are some exemptions. Like, injury allowances are part of … there is a cap, then there’s an overflow for injury allowances and injury payments, so maybe something happened there.

“I don’t know, but generally all payments go in the cap.”

BEAMS’ BOMBSHELL

Magpies premiership star Dayne Beams claims Collingwood settled his contract “outside” the salary cap last year and the payout played no part in the club’s disastrous trade period wage dump.

Beams’ retirement was formalised in November – with two years still to run on his deal – but he hadn’t played for the Pies since Round 11, 2019, after taking an indefinite mental health break.

The news follows theHerald Sun reporting at the time that Collingwood’s bid to have the remainder of his salary counted as a medical payout had failed.

But Beams’ comments suggest the Magpies came to some sort of arrangement with the AFL to settle his contract outside their bulging salary cap.

The AFL and Collingwood have been contacted for comment.

The Magpies came under fire from angry fans in November for botching the trade period.

The club jettisoned star Adam Treloar, top draft pick Jaidyn Stephenson, wingman Tom Phillips and youngster Atu Bosenavulagi.

Dayne Beams in action for Collingwood in 2019. Picture: AAP Image/Daniel Pockett)

New footy boss Graham Wright said last week the club was still suffering from a salary cap “hangover”.

But Beams, speaking in the wake of Buckley’s resignation on Wednesday, distanced himself from the club’s issues.

“From a personal point of view, my situation was, I guess, caught up in that and there was a lot of noise around that,” Beams told SEN radio.

“There were, obviously, people hearing what they were hearing and there were a few wires crossed.

“(But) anything that was negotiated with me and my contract was outside the cap, so I actually had nothing to do with anything that went on there.

“The only thing they probably lost with my scenario was a couple of early draft picks, which was unfortunate … the club got itself in the position they were in and a few people had to fall out.”

The Herald Sun reported in November that Treloar’s new club Western Bulldogs wanted the Magpies to pay up to $300,000 per season for the five years remaining on the midfielder’s contract.

Former Collingwood list manager Ned Guy. Picture: Michael Klein

Then-list boss Ned Guy originally dismissed the coverage of Collingwood’s salary cap situation as “a beat up”, but chief executive Mark Anderson later acknowledged the problems in a letter to club members.

“Salary cap pressure was certainly a key part of the decision,” Anderson said.

“This is common for teams in premiership contention and even for some who are not. Financial sacrifices were made to keep the list together but this could not be the ongoing solution.

“With a further reduction of every club’s salary cap about to come due to the impacts of Covid, this situation was going to be exacerbated. To be blunt, we found ourselves in a bind …

“This could not continue and so some tough and, frankly, painful decisions had to be made.”

Guy has since announced his resignation and finished up after last week’s AFL mid-season rookie draft.

Wright said last week he did not anticipate another end-of-season player fire sale.

Originally published as Former Collingwood star Dayne Beams claims his contract payout was ‘outside’ salary cap and did not impact club’s financial woes