Wests Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson has informed staff that he will walk away from the joint-venture as the club’s front-office turmoil claims another high-profile scalp.
Richardson is poised to quit his role less than 18 months into a four-year deal that began last July, in response to the removal of four independent directors from the Tigers board last week.
Shane Richardson.Credit: Getty Images
Richardson called a meeting on Monday to tell staff of his decision. It is unclear at this stage when Richardson will end his tenure but his decision will leave the club without a chairman or CEO, given he follows former NSW premier and administrative ally Barry O’Farrell out the door.
Outgoing Manly boss Tony Mestrov – whose tenure at the Sea Eagles is due to finish on December 19 – has been approached as a replacement but is yet to confirm his next move. Mestrov declined to comment on Monday.
Richardson’s move comes as the NRL determines whether there are grounds to investigate the veteran administrator’s conduct and a potential conflict of interest regarding the use of the Enrichd Group – a company Richardson part owns with his son, Brent – for marketing, branding and digital consultancy services.
Richardson has declared the potential conflict of interest previously and is privately adamant the whistleblower tip-off to the NRL will amount to nothing.
Sources speaking on the condition of anonymity have indicated Richardson’s contract contains termination clauses that protect a lucrative payout.
Despite a seemingly positive season on the field which saw the Tigers progress under coach Benji Marshall, with recruits Jarome Luai, Terrell May and Sunia Turuva lifting the club from the bottom of the ladder, majority owners the Holman Barnes Group dismissed the board’s independent directors in the club’s latest off-field drama.
HBG directors have grown frustrated with the approach of Richardson and the Tigers board.
