Update: John Bateman Gives It To “Bald Headed” Fox Sports Journalist, Denies Asking For A Release
For Sports is reporting that Canberra Raiders back rower John Bateman has asked for a release 4 times over the last few months after switching from an English player manager to an Australian one.
Batemans new manager would not get a portion of the previous contract Bateman signed with the Raiders, however if a new contract is negotiated he would then get a portion of that.
Batemans requests for a release from his contract first came to light heading into last years Grand Final. The story came out at the worst possible time and really put in a bad light.
However knowing that Bateman continues to ask for a release, it makes you wonder if the Raiders should grant him one and avoid this ongoing saga.
I personally think that Bateman is severely overrated. That doesn’t mean he isn’t good value under his current contract however. There would be a tipping point where no matter how good a value Batemans contract is however that it just isn’t worth the hassle of keeping him around. No team needs a distraction, especially the Canberra Raiders.
Having said that, you need to remember that the Raiders have looked to release troubled players in the past and that has never worked out in the favour. As players have left the Raiders and thrived at other clubs, the Raiders have been left with nothing. That will always play into their decisions in this regard going forward.
What you may see instead is a move by the Raiders to look for a player swap with another club. This would allow the Raiders to get something in return for Bateman and Bateman can then sign a new contract at his next club.
