Former NFL and National Rugby League side Parramatta Eels player Jarryd Hayne said that "he knows nothing about receiving off-the-record payments" of nearly A$500,000 ($366,233) when he was at the club, according to the AAP. New revelations in an NRL breach notice against the Eels reportedly "show the club secretly arranged almost half a million dollars in deals for the NFL convert" since '13. Official documents and boardroom minutes reportedly "show a trail of salary cap discrepancies in the star fullback's third party deals with the club" from '13-15. When asked by reporters about the "secret deals" in London, Hayne "joked about the amount." Hayne: "Half a million, wow, must have been the wrong bank account. I haven't seen it." When asked if he was "aware of any off the record payments," he said, "Not that I'm aware of, no." He said that the players' duty "was to go out and play and he had put his trust in his manager and the people who ran the club." He added, "I'm an athlete, not a manager." Hayne's manager, Wayne Beavis, "also denied the reports." Beavis: "On the press reports there is a lot of the content contained in it relating to Jarryd that is factually incorrect" (AAP, 5/17).
CHUMP CHANGE: In Sydney, Dean Ritchie wrote Hayne will "earn less money playing for Fiji at the Rio Olympics than teenagers flipping burgers at McDonald’s." Hayne and his Fijian Sevens teammates "would pocket a modest" A$136.15 ($100) each day they compete at the Olympics. McDonald's staff earn A$160.72 ($118) "for an eight-hour shift." It "clearly shows Hayne places his dreams and ambitions above cold, hard cash." The former rugby player "took a savage pay cut to leave the NRL for NFL on a rookie contract." A source said, "This isn't about money for Jarryd. Anyone that leaves a sport (rugby league) at the top of his game to go and play another sport for less money, just to challenge himself, should be applauded" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 5/17).
QUEUING UP: Also in Sydney, Jacquelin Magnay reported NRL side St. George Illawarra "joined the long queue of clubs interested" in signing Hayne after his Rio tilt ends. Dragons Manager Paul McGregor said that his club is "interested in luring" Hayne back to the NRL. The Dragons became the second NRL club after Newcastle to "publicly declare their interest in the former Parramatta superstar." Hayne has previously said that he would "return only to Parramatta," but whether the club could accommodate him under its salary cap for next season remains to be seen. The Sydney Roosters have been "linked to Hayne and would be able to afford him." Hayne was asked "the exact moment he decided to try for the Rio Olympics." Hayne: "Friday morning, when I got my Fijian passport." When asked why he did not "elect to trial with Australia," Hayne said, "Because they didn't ask me" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 5/18).
