Wayne Bennett’s drawn-out departure from the Brisbane Broncos denied three of his staff lucrative payments, according to reports.
The 68-year-old was sacked by the Broncos at the beginning of this month for breaching his contract by allegedly contacting South Sydney players ahead of his expected move to Redfern.
Brisbane’s management thought Bennett had agreed to an arrangement that would have seen him leave the Broncos 48 hours before he was eventually punted.
The master coach instead held a rogue press conference to announce he would see out the final year of his contract at Red Hill, scuppering the agreement.
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According to The Courier Mail’s Travis Meyn, part of Bennett’s deal to walk away including generous payouts to assistant coach Jason Demetriou, Jeremy Hickmans (head of performance) and Scott Barker (analyst).
Instead, the trio of staffers were let go by the Broncos with minimal payouts, according to News Limited.
Demetriou, who interviewed for Bennett’s Broncos job but was beaten out by Anthony Seibold, has since linked with Bennett at the Bunnies.
But it is understood Hickmans and Barker remain unemployed.
Bennett, who immediately joined the Rabbitohs on a three-year deal after his sacking, was expected to swap jobs with Anthony Seibold soon after the end of the 2018 season.
But the seven-time premiership-winning coach held firm leading to a farcical situation for both clubs that ultimately came to a head on December 2.
His critics have accused Bennett of stringing the Broncos along in the hope of receiving a full payout of the final year of his Brisbane contract – a claim he has repeatedly denied.
Bennett’s motives were once again called into question this week after News Limited revealed he has launched legal action against the Broncos seeking $400,000 in damages.
