NRL: Todd Greenberg fights for Bulldogs and his job

Todd Greenberg has had a busy 48 hours attempting to salvage not only his job, but also the bottom line of the Bulldogs amid a sex scandal involving Dogs players.

Bulldog Jayden Okunbor has been stood down and face severe sanctions

NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg has had a busy 48 hours attempting to salvage not only his job, but also the bottom line of the embattled Canterbury Bulldogs.

On Tuesday night, Greenberg met the subcommittee of ARL Commissioners set up to decide his future. On Wednesday, he hit the phones as he personally intervened in an attempt to rescue a potential major sponsor for Canterbury, the club at the centre of the schoolgirl sex scandal that has rocked the code on the eve of the premiership opener.

Greenberg’s intervention failed to have the desired effect. Late yesterday, Rami Ykmour — the founder of restaurant chain Rashays — confirmed he had ceased negotiations with the Bulldogs as a result of the actions of players Jayden Okunbor and Corey Harewira-Naera, who have been stood down by the NRL and face severe sanctions for breaching the game’s code of conduct. The pair stand accused of having sexual relations with schoolgirls during a pre-season trip to Port Macquarie and the likelihood is that one — and possibly both — will receive a lengthy ban and potentially be sacked by their club.

Okunbor appears the most in jeopardy given he attended the school in question as part of a coaching clinic — one of 13 schools visited by the club during the trip to Port Macquarie. It is understood Harewira-Naera met another girl on social media.

Regardless, both are facing severe sanctions from the NRL that could leave their club with no choice but to show them the door. What started as a day in the community has ended in disaster for the Bulldogs after the pair brought the girls — who were both above the age of consent — back to the team hotel.

That was in strict violation of the club’s code of conduct, infuriating Bulldogs chief executive Andrew Hill and prompting him to refer the matter to the NRL.

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The school in question has removed any record of Canterbury’s visit from their website or social media outlets and the club is facing a financial black hole.

The Bulldogs were deep in negotiations with Rashay before the scandal broke and while Canterbury officials hoped they could salvage the deal, the company’s founder on Wednesday afternoon confirmed they had stepped away from the negotiating table.

“We were committed to a two-year contract and as a result of what has happened, we think it is best that we step away,” Ykmour said. “They were very upfront. They were very honest. It’s unfortunate but it is what it is. To be fair, the club’s kept me in the loop.

“The decision was simple in the end when we heard what was going on — simple but hard because of our relationship with the Bulldogs.”

Greenberg personally reached out to Ykmour to assure him the game was taking the matter seriously and would carry out a full and proper investigation.

Less than 24 hours earlier, Greenberg had fronted ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys, and commissioners Wayne Pearce and Gary Weiss, as part of a performance review and an opportunity for the chief executive to outline his plans for the code.

A decision will be made on his future next week but the sense is that he is clinging to power as the game ponders a change of direction. “Todd reached out to me to explain the situation and explain how it would be handled,” ­Ykmour said.

Ykmour’s decision capped another disastrous day for the Bulldogs. Early yesterday, social media screenshots were sent to media outlets detailing the interaction between Okunbor and one of the girls.

At one point, Okunbor says to the girl after being asked whether he was stalking her Instagram account: “Yeah had to have a good look, what are we doing tonight?” She replies “You” with a winking emoji. He then asks the girl whether she was at school during the visit.

A source also confirmed to The Australian that one of the Bulldogs footballers had a sexual encounter with a teacher. It is understood the teacher was from a different school to the two students involved.

Hill fronted the media with coach Dean Pay Wednesday morning but declined to delve into the details of the allegations against their players, insisting it was part of an NRL investigation and needed to be handled sensitively.

“I think it’s clear they’ve breached their obligations,” Hill said. “They’re not behaviours or values that are reflective of this football club. We need to respect that process and the people involved in that process. There’s a number of sensitivity matters around this.

“There’s an investigation under process, I’m not in a position to make further comment. The club has acted swiftly.”

The club opens its season against Parramatta at Bankwest Stadium on Thursday night and it is understood the section of the ground reserved for Bulldogs supporters is yet to sell out. There are fears that the Bulldogs’ supporters will stay away as they watch their club’s reputation get dragged through the mud again.