THE KURT Tippett saga has undergone another twist with reports surfacing that Adelaide entered into a secret agreement to smooth the key forward's path to the club of his choice at the end of his last contract with the Crows.
Adelaide has consistently denied the existence of such a clause in the three-year contract Tippett signed at the end of 2009, but The Age reports club powerbrokers are understood to have gone to the AFL late last week with written documentation confirming that they had agreed to trade Tippett for a second-round choice.
The agreement was reportedly not part of the contract lodged with the AFL, but specified in a separate note, with its existence potentially having serious ramifications for both the Crows and Tippett if confirmed.
Under AFL rules, clubs can face fines and/or draft penalties if found guilty of draft tampering or salary cap breaches, with a player also potentially facing bans if found to be a willing party.
The Age reported Adelaide chief executive Steven Trigg went to the AFL after returning home from Europe last week to seek clarification on the legalities of the so-called 'gentlemen's agreement'.
Tippett shocked Adelaide when he went public with his desire to play for the Sydney Swans next season, with the Crows believed to have been prepared to make a deal to send the Queensland-raised forward to either the Brisbane Lions or Gold Coast.
Talks between the Crows and Swans have dragged well into the third week of the Gillette AFL Trade Period with a proposed deal to send forward Jesse White and pick No.23 to Adelaide shelved on Friday.
If the report is proven correct it is unclear how a trade between the two clubs would proceed or what sanctions - if any - will be levelled.
An AFL spokesman declined to comment on Wednesday morning but said the League would make a statement on the issue later in the day.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
