NRL: Anthony Seibold reportedly offered a million-dollar payout to leave the Brisbane Broncos

Brisbane Broncos coach Anthony Seibold has reportedly been offered a million dollar payout to leave the struggling club immediately.

Brisbane Broncos coach Anthony Seibold has reportedly been offered a million dollar payout to leave the club immediately.

The Brisbane Broncos have reportedly offered coach Anthony Seibold a million-dollar pay out to leave the club immediately just two years into his five-year contract.

The club’s season from hell has fast-tracked the negotiations with the Broncos winning just one game from 13 since the season restarted.

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In the past couple of weeks the Broncos’ crisis has become more personal for Seibold with the coach staying in Sydney for family reasons a fortnight ago before vile rumours began circulating about the under-siege coach.

On Sunday evening, The Courier-Mail reported Seibold has been given the option of leaving now and receiving a million dollar-plus payout, or return to the club on Monday after his two-week COVID-hold ends as he has not been sacked and is not being forced to accept the offer.

If he returns, negotiations would reportedly restart at the end of the season.

If Seibold decides to take the deal, caretaker coach Peter Gentle would likely take the reins for the remainder of the season.

It comes after reports chairman Karl Morris was set to hold discussions with Seibold to work out if he was the man to lead the Broncos out of their current predicament.

Anthony Seibold at Broncos training.

The Broncos have had the worst season in the club’s history with just three wins in 15 games, sitting ahead of only the Canterbury Bulldogs. They have the worst defence and the second worst attack in the league.

Seibold has been under relentless pressure in the role with the dire performances putting the coach under the spotlight after each loss.

But along with the rumours around Seibold that have been sent to lawyers, the Broncos have also been dealing with infighting with former greats lashing the once powerhouse club and star forward Tevita Pangai Jr in a media storm after numerous COVID bubble breaches.

The club have also had a sex tape scandal and been under biosecurity investigations for a pub lunch attended by several players.

The rugby league world was quick to react to the news.

One of the writers of the Courier Mail piece Robert Craddock also offered an opinion piece and said that Seibold was “no quitter”.

“It would not be a shock if Seibold rejects the deal offered to him by the Broncos because the very thought of leaving early will rub against the grain of his hard-nosed personality,” he said.

It’s been a tough old year for Anthony Seibold.

On Fox League’s Big League Wrap, Fox Sports NRL reporter James Hooper said the payout was the “logical decision given the season from hell” after a “spectacular failure”.

“Nobody expected the deck chairs could go overboard and the Brisbane Broncos could hit the iceberg the way that they have,” he said. “The only thing that saves them being in 16th position as of right here, right now is that the Warriors somehow mustered a comeback and beat the Bulldogs. That sums up exactly where the Broncos are at, at this point in time and clearly there needs to be wholesale changes, they’ve got to put a broom right through the joint.”

Hooper said he believes Seibold should walk out on his own terms.

Michael Ennis agreed it had been “catastrophic” and that the coach should walk away.

And he said he believes it’s time for Kevin Walters to step into the role.

“Give him the opportunity, it’s been murmured for such a long time to take the reins at the club he loves and it’s his time now to step in and fix what has been a catastrophic period for the Broncos, something I never thought I’d see,” Ennis said.

While Paul Green has also been suggested as a possible coach with premiership winning credentials, Walters name has constantly been put forward.

Former Broncos great Glenn Lazarus agreed that he deserves the opportunity.

“Kevvie is the man, he is the perfect guy to come in and address some of the issues at the club,” Lazarus said.

“I don’t believe the players are happy there, that’s obvious in the way they are playing.

“Kevvie would bring a real injection of enthusiasm. The Broncos need someone who understands the DNA of the club and Kevvie knows the club inside out. He would turn the place around.”

The topic has been hotly debated for months in rugby league circles with the Broncos seemingly unable to dig their way out of the hole the club has found itself in.

The belief is that Anthony Seibold will have to leave the role for his own mental health.

NSW coach Brad Fittler believes if Seibold walks away of his own accord, he may never land another NRL coaching gig.

“If he walks away from here that’s the end of coaching I’d say for Anthony Seibold,” Fittler told 2GB’s Wide World of Sports Radio last week.

“He went up to the Broncos with a pretty good team and everything has turned to crap pretty quickly, so there’s a big chance that when all the dust settles, a lot of it is going to be on Anthony Seibold’s shoulders and he’s going to have to wait an awful long time for another gig.”

Phil Gould, on the other hand, said it might be the best thing for his health.

“I wouldn’t blame him if he walked away from this, for his own sanity and for the peace of mind of his family,” Gould said on the Six Tackles With Gus podcast.

“Being as coaches, we’re competitive people we don’t want to give in to these types of things, but there’s a reality there — that would probably be the best course of action.”

Speaking on Fox League on Saturday night, NRL great Cooper Cronk admitted that it is almost at the point where Seibold’s future becomes a business decision.

“When your share price drops dramatically that becomes a business decision,” he said.

“When you work out how much it is going to cost you to pay out a coach if that’s the decision they make, that’s when it becomes a business decision.

“There’s been so many, numerous articles about the Brisbane Broncos this year. A decision has to be made and it sounds like the balls are about to roll.”