TonyK
CibbuanoLovett, Saints remain at loggerheads
March 12th 2010 10:25
THE dispute between fallen star Andrew Lovett and St Kilda remains unsolved despite a nine-hour mediation session on Friday.
The Saints sacked the former Essendon speedster a day after he was formally charged with rape.
It is understood Lovett wants St Kilda to pay out his three-year $1 million plus contract.
Saints chief executive Michael Nettlefold said the club entered the meeting with an 'open mind' and tried its best to obtain a 'satisfactory solution'.
"However, the claim made by Andrew Lovett’s representatives was not something the club could reasonably agree to," Nettlefold said.
"As our members, sponsors and other stakeholders would expect, we have obtained legal advice from independent expert employment law barristers who advised us that the club was legally entitled to terminate Andrew Lovett’s employment contract."
Nettlefold said under the AFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement a club was within its rights to sack a player if it deemed the player had brought the club into disrepute.
"Further, the club formed the view that Andrew had also engaged in misconduct which is a ground for termination under his contract of employment," he said.
"The main reasons the club believes that its decision to terminate Lovett’s employment on these grounds is justified, is because of his behaviour on December 23/24, 2009 and his failure to obey specific directions to contact club officials in this type of situation."
St Kilda remains open to ongoing discussions in a bid to reach a settlement but the matter could now be referred to the AFL Grievance Tribunal for resolution.
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