NRL 2020: Action taken after vile Anthony Seibold rumours is merely ‘hot air’

Anthony Seibold is following through on his investigation into a horrible smear campaign but not everyone believes we’ll find any answers.

He’s gone from Red Hill but Anthony Seibold is still in the headlines.

Footy figures are becoming less convinced major action will be taken over the vile rumours spread about former Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold on social media.

The axed Broncos mentor was the victim of a disgusting smear campaign, adding a toxic personal element to his professional woes as he fought to keep his job — a fight which he ultimately lost.

Seibold hired legal representation and cybersecurity experts to trace the origin of the rumours and his lawyer Dave Garratt previously claimed a “prominent name” had been identified.

Seibold reportedly handed a list of names linked to the rumour-mongering to the NRL on Friday, but whether anything comes of that submission remains to be seen.

The NRL Integrity Unit can step in if a rugby league player, coach or official is found to be behind to the sordid saga, and also has the power to seize phones to investigate a possible code of conduct breach and stamp people out of the game for good.

However, Fox Sports chief rugby league reporter James Hooper believes Seibold’s lawyer’s persistent claims the investigation is going somewhere are wearing thin.

“Is this the same lawyer, I think I’ve read it eight times in the paper over the course of the last 14 days (saying), ‘We’re 24 hours away (from exposing the people responsible) and 90 per cent certain of who the culprits are?’” Hooper said on NRL 360.

NRL 360 co-host Paul Kent said the list of names being handed over to the Integrity Unit represented a “bunch of hot air”. He doesn’t believe anything will come of the investigation if it’s dragged on this long without any scalps.

“This is the silly part. All the talk in the lead-up (from Seibold’s team) was, ‘We don’t know whether we’re gong to pursue criminal charges or defamation charges’,” Kent said.

“So when they finally get their information, where do they do? Take it to the Integrity Unit. What’s that going to do? Seriously.”

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Anthony Seibold is fighting for justice.

Daily Telegraph reporter Phil Rothfield said the fact Seibold’s camp has given a list of names to the NRL suggests at least one person with links to rugby league has been identified as someone of interest — and if that’s the case, the governing body may be obliged to take action.

But Kent remains unconvinced.

“So what, in rugby league you’re not allowed to say something bad about someone?” he said.

“What do they expect the Integrity Unit to do? Seriously, someone tell me, what’s the Integrity Unit going to do?

“If you’ve got some names and ‘This is what they said about me on Facebook’, what do they do? Ring up and say, ‘Listen mate, don’t call him names anymore’?

“For all the talk about criminal charges or defamation charges, it’s ended up at the Integrity Unit.

“That tells me there’s not much there. It honestly tells me that.”

Reports have suggested Seibold and Co. uncovered a well-known person behind the rumours but when Nine’s Danny Weidler put the name of an “NRL identity” to Seibold — the wife of a person with links to the Broncos — the fallen coach didn’t bite.

“It’s not someone of profile,’’ Seibold said. “All of that talk is wrong. I’ve only just got out of the (Broncos’ biosecurity) bubble and seen my lawyer and it’s not the name you have put to me.”