Tevita Pangai Jr contract: Quade Cooper caught up in alleged contract breaches

The Broncos have alleged Tevita Pangai Jr, by his own admission in NRL interviews, revealed several COVID breaches, including three separate violations involving his good mate Quade Cooper.

Quade Cooper and Tevita Pangai Jnr training together earlier this year. Picture: Annette Dew

Tevita Pangai Jr will front the Brisbane board this Friday after being slapped with a second show-cause notice for several alleged contract breaches including wining and dining with former Wallabies star Quade Cooper.

The Sunday Mail can reveal Pangai Jr will have the chance to formally fight for his future this week when he and his legal team meet with the Broncos board in a bid to save his $2.1 million contract.

The Broncos strike forward’s three-year contract is worth around $725,000 per season.

In a farcical administrative bungle, the Broncos have served Pangai Jr with his second show-cause notice in nine days — because their first did not include a list of his COVID breaches under NRL guidelines.

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Tevita Pangai Jr and his legal team will meet with the Broncos board this week in a bid to save his $2.1 million contract.

Brisbane‘s initial correspondence outlined plans to sack Pangai Jr for not attending a team barbecue on Saturday, August 8, the day he broke COVID rules by visiting a barber-shop owned by the Mongols bikie organisation.

Brisbane bosses also argued Pangai Jr was in breach of his employment contract for contacting Roosters chairman Nick Politis, allegedly bagging the state of the Broncos.

Pangai Jr spoke of his remorse on Friday, apologising to the Broncos, assuring the NRL he will adhere to all COVID rules and advising Brisbane powerbrokers he wants to remain at the club.

On the same day as Pangai Jr’s comments, Brisbane hit him with a second breach notice with beefed-up allegations.

The Broncos have alleged Pangai Jr, by his own admission in NRL interviews, revealed several COVID breaches, including three separate violations involving public trips with his good mate Cooper.

Pangai Jr is also accused of lying to the Broncos about his whereabouts and failing to adequately fill in a COVID app on his phone as required by all NRL players.

Quade Cooper and Tevita Pangai Jnr training together earlier this year. Picture: Annette Dew

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Brisbane’s second show-cause notice details how Pangai Jr thumbed his nose at NRL rules by dining with Cooper at a Greek restaurant on Saturday, July 11 after he played in the Broncos’ defeat of the Bulldogs.

On Sunday, July 2, Pangai Jr broke COVID rules again by attending an under-18s match at Holland Park with Cooper. The Broncos claim he did not report this in the NRL‘s Check-Up app.

On Wednesday, August 5, Pangai Jr dined at a Thai restaurant and bar with Cooper, who then drove him home. The Broncos also claim he did not report this public outing.

The breach notice has proposed five possible courses of action. They are: no further action, a caution or reprimand, a fine, a suspension not exceeding 18 matches or the immediate termination of his Broncos contract.

The Sunday Mail understands Pangai Jr has the support of two board members, Darren Lockyer and Tony Joseph. That could put Brisbane‘s executive on a collision course if Broncos chairman Karl Morris decides to play hard ball and axe Pangai Jr.

Originally published as Tevita Pangai Jr contract: Quade Cooper caught up in alleged contract breaches