National Rugby League CEO Dave Smith launched a "vociferous" defense of the game’s integrity unit on Wednesday as "it emerged the security guard at the centre of the South Sydney scandal had received financial compensation to drop any charges against former Rabbitohs captain John Sutton and ex-forward Luke Burgess," according to Brent Read of THE AUSTRALIAN. Smith was "forced on to the defensive after the NRL announced the integrity unit had reopened its investigation into the Rabbitohs' wild night in Arizona late last year." The NRL reportedly received documents on Wednesday morning which indicated "monetary damages" had been paid to Patrick Scruggs, the 21-year-old security guard who "sustained minor head injuries when he was wrestled to the ground by Burgess" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 2/12). In Sydney, Michael Carayannis reported Scruggs had "asked for the charges to be dropped against Burgess" at a court appearance on Dec. 9. It is "unclear how exactly Scruggs was compensated and who provided it," but a report from the Flagstaff City Attorney's office indicated the deal "had been made with Burgess." The report said, "Burgess entered into a misdemeanour compromise with the victim" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 2/11). In Sydney, Nicolussi & Crawley reported Burgess -- not South Sydney -- "was the one who reached a financial agreement with an Arizona bouncer, which led to his assault charge being withdrawn." English agent Chris Caisley, who is "now believed to be at the centre of the NRL's relaunched investigation into
Burgess and Sutton's boozy night in Flagstaff, confirmed his client
agreed a financial settlement with Scruggs" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 2/12).
