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Admin | January 29, 2012 | Comments Off

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Scandal can sometimes be good for a sport. It depends on how the sport's chiefs respond to the drama.

NRL Football Scandal

In Australia the greatest sports scandal of a generation hit the National Rugby League after it was discovered past premiers, the Melbourne Storm, systematically cheated the salary cap rules. The club that won premierships in 2007 and 2009 and minor premierships in 2006, 2007 and 2008 kept one set of books for the NRL and another secret set with details of payments for its elite playing roster. The club was stripped of its title wins, fined A$500,000, forced to return A$1.1 million in prize money, stripped of premiership points for 2010 and barred from gaining any points for the rest of the season.

Yet some commentators claimed the identification of the fraud and the punishment the sport's administration handed out to the club was a proud moment for the NRL. Respected sports columnist for The Australian newspaper, Patrick Smith, said the NRL's swift and severe sanctions against the Storm showed depth of courage and would strengthen the code."They have shown sport in Australia that there can be no compromise to the sense of fair play. No matter the consequences,' said Smith.