Nine piles pressure on NRL’s Todd Greenberg
The Nine Network has upped the ante in their simmering dispute with the NRL as its boss fights to save his job.
The Nine Network has upped the ante in their simmering dispute with the NRL, issuing a statement through their media channels in which they have accused the governing body of squandering funds and ignoring the needs of clubs, players and supporters.
The statement, which was released via the network’s television and print outlets, has placed increasing pressure on chief executive Todd Greenberg as he fights to save his job. Greenberg is off contract at the end of the season and now confronts an angry broadcasting partner, who claim the COVID_19 crisis has highlighted the mismanagement of the code in recent years,
The statement was released as the game’s football innovation committee held further talks about the possibility of returning to action on May 21. Further talks are expected to be held with the clubs and coaches later today.
The broadcasters will also be central to the game’s return and the Nine Network has turned up the heat on the NRL amid claims they are looking to renegotiate their deal for the remainder of this season, should the game get back on the park.
“At Nine we had hoped to work with the NRL on a solution to the issues facing rugby league in 2020, brought on so starkly by COVID-19,” a spokesman for Nine said.
“But this health crisis in our community has highlighted the mismanagement of the code over many years.
“Nine has invested hundreds of millions in this game over decades and we now find they have profoundly wasted those funds with very little to fall back on to support the clubs, the players and supporters.
“In the past the NRL have had problems and we’ve bailed them out many times including a $50m loan to support clubs when the last contract was signed.
“It would now appear that much of that has been squandered by a bloated head office completely ignoring the needs of the clubs, players and supporters.”
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