**Paul Kent blasts ‘disgraceful’ player agent as John Bateman seeks contract upgrade at Raiders
Canberra’s grand final charge has been stunned by reports English star John Bateman could walk over a contract demand.**
NRL 360 host Paul Kent has called on the NRL to put its foot down when it comes to player managers encouraging their clients to break contracts after it emerged John Bateman will seek an upgraded deal at Canberra.
Bateman, who has been one the reasons behind the Raiders’ run to their first grand final in 25 years, revealed in an interview with NRL.com that he’ll sit down with the club in the off-season and discuss his salary despite having two years remaining on his deal.
The 26-year-old is on a contract reportedly worth between $350,000 and $400,000, but could seek an early release if the Green Machine aren’t able to accommodate a bumped up deal, something which the club isn’t obligated to do.
Bateman said he felt a sense of loyalty to coach Ricky Stuart who has looked after his since his move from Wigan, but admitted “you’ve got to earn as much money in your career as you can”.
**“I’ve got a new agent over here, I’m with Isaac Moses,” Bateman said.**
“I don’t know where Canberra are at with their salary cap. While I’m over here mate, I have to do what’s best for me and best for my family. Moving forward I’ll just have to weigh up my options and see what’s there.
“ … But I need to do what’s best for my family. They know that. My little girl, I want to give her the best opportunities and life and I’ll see what those opportunities are. I don’t know where Canberra is at with what people are coming and going but we’ll sort it out after the season.”
Before he joined Moses’ stable, Bateman was with another agent who negotiated his deal when he made the move from Wigan to Canberra.
At the time, the Raiders paid a $450,000 transfer fee to get the backrower Down Under.
Kent blasted Moses and the timing of the report on Tuesday’s episode of NRL 360.
“It’s disgraceful once again that a player agent has waited until grand final week to start getting it out among the media,” Kent said.
“He’s just taken over this player as his agent and he gets it out there now with two more years to run that he wants an upgrade in his contract.
“When are the NRL going to get in control of these guys?
“This is up to the manager to stay out of his player’s head in grand final week. He shouldn’t even be having a conversation with a player in grand final week about getting an upgrade or getting you to another club.
“The Raiders if they wanted to could sit here and say you’re going nowhere, you’ve got two years more years, you’re going to see out your contract. That could end it there. But we all know now that the managers say kick stones at training, they’ll have to release you.
“What they’ve got to do is they’ve got to get the NRL here where if you break a contract, put in a condition you can go elsewhere — if you had a falling out with the coach, for instance — but you can’t get paid more money.
“That stops these managers, who one year into a three year deal, say you know what, I did a bad job, underpaid on your new contract, so now I’m going to take you to market.
“We are almost at breaking point with so many players breaking contracts and the NRL just sits back idly by and allows it to happen with no compensation to the clubs, no recriminations against the agents that encourage who players to break a legal contract — and the players all profit by it.”
https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/paul-kent-blasts-disgraceful-player-agent-as-john-bateman-seeks-contract-upgrade-at-raiders/news-story/8fde4582735c680a95d309a0df1e0e74
NRL won't do anything about this because at the end of the day its the NRL...basket case
