The former business partner of Australian Football League player agent Liam Pickering "has admitted taking the confidential files of four of the game's highest profile players and leaving them in his car," according to Mark Russell of THE AGE. Jason Sourasis told the Supreme Court he took the files relating to Gary Ablett, Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Dane Swan and Jack Riewoldt from his company's offices in Dec. '13 after "falling out with Pickering." He is suing Pickering and another AFL player agent, James Pitcher, for damages over "alleged lost commissions and endorsement payments" after a total of 31 players and coaches terminated their contracts with SMAFL and signed up with the pair's rival management company, Precision Sports and Entertainment Group, in May '14. Pickering is counter-suing Sourasis, alleging he "engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct and misappropriated funds." Barrister Michael Osborne, QC, for Pickering, questioned Sourasis about his decision "to take the four players' files from the SMAFL offices" in Dec. '13 without Pickering's knowledge. Sourasis said that while he was "only providing financial planning services to Swan, he took all four files after getting legal advice that he could take whatever he wanted" as he was a director and 60% shareholder in SMAFL (THE AGE, 12/9).
