Solicitors investigate Senior’s Crusaders Woe
Stephen Taylor Heath of Eatons Solicitors has been retained by former Leeds Rhinos and England legend Keith Senior to investigate legal redress against the RFL and the former Directors and Chief Executive of defunct Super League Club Crusaders.
Senior signed with the Crusaders in June last year in reliance on promises as to the club’s future .Yet less than a month later the club withdrew its application for a Super League license and whilst just managing to fulfill its fixtures to the end of the season, went into liquidation last year .
Senior said “I wish I could turn back the clock and not listened to all the rubbish I was fed by the Crusaders as to their future when I signed! I met with one of the Club Directors Geoff Moss in the liquidator’s office with my lawyer and I was speechless to learn he didn’t even know I had been signed by the club which shows the Directors weren’t running the club so who was?
He said the RFL knew about the Crusaders financial problems back in April, yet the RFL still allowed the club to sign new players and the decision to withdraw the license application could have been taken earlier. The Club and the RFL knew I had other offers but allowed me to sign and give up the other opportunities.
The circumstances in which the club came to withdraw its license application also stinks given, according to Moss, the decision was taken at RFL headquarters in a meeting between Ralph Rimmer of the RFL and Rod Findlay – former In House Counsel for the RFL and Chief Exec of the Crusaders at the time. Moss claimed the decision came out of the blue to him, as shortly before that he had put another £100,000 of his own money into the club.”
Senior feels the situation caused him to miss the boat re-selection for the new season and so this will be the first super league season without him. Senior added, “The whole episode will be covered in my updated autobiography but that won’t compensate for my career being cut short. I have instructed my lawyer to go after those responsible. I have given good service to Rugby League and the RFL have benefitted, whilst others who have suffered as a result of the Crusaders demise have been helped out by the RFL, I have not!”
Stephen Taylor Heath of Eatons Solicitors commented, “On any footing Keith has been the ultimate victim of what has gone on with the Crusaders and we are in correspondence with the RFL , the liquidator, the former Chief Exec and the Director’s Legal Advisors and may have to take the matter to court.”