Soft cap impact of Chris Scott’s role with Morris Finance still unknown despite AFL probe
The AFL has wrapped up an investigation into Chris Scott’s role with Geelong sponsor Morris Finance, but the impact it will have on the Cats’ soft cap is still unknown.
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The soft cap impact of Chris Scott’s new role with Geelong sponsor Morris Finance remains unknown after the AFL wrapped up a probe into the gig.
Scott caused a stir in October when Morris Finance announced he had been appointed to the “newly created” gig as chief of leadership and performance.
As the Herald Sun revealed, Geelong CEO Steve Hocking confirmed the deal was the same as had been in place for the previous two years, which had previously been ticked off by the AFL.
The deal will not change after the league inquiry.
Hocking said the league looked into what facets of payment were provided inside and outside of the soft cap – an amount every football department can use to pay its coaches and staff.
A rule introduced last year now allows clubs to pay 20 per cent of their coach’s wage outside of the soft cap.
The use of club logos in promoting the deal was part of the AFL review.
“It is a deal that has been in place since 2022 and there are a range of areas that money can go into, it can go into the 20 per cent that sits outside the soft cap that benefits the coaches,” Hocking told SEN.
”It does need to be independent, that was the issue that the AFL had with it and the reason why it was reviewed and looked into was the basis that there was some club IP utilised in that and we acknowledge that.”
The media release on the Morris Finance website only shows Scott in a plain suit with no Geelong colours or logos.
“We are really happy with the outcome of it (the review) and not concerned at all and we will continue to work with Morris as Chris will, we have our own partnership and Chris has got his own partnership as well,” Hocking said.
The AFL initially bristled at reports that it had launched into an investigation of the deal, as it is standard practice to look into third-party arrangements between players, staff and sponsors.
The Herald Sun reported in October that the framework of the deal between Scott and Morris Finance was sorted in 2022 and the new role was a title upgrade rather than a salary bump.
When the deal was announced, Scott said he had no concern about it breaking any soft cap rules.
Morris Finance has sponsored the Cats since the beginning of the 2011 season – coincidentally Scott’s first at the club – and became Geelong’s official coaching sponsor in 2018, opening up the relationship with Scott.
Originally published as Soft cap impact of Chris Scott’s role with Morris Finance still unknown despite AFL probe
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