An open message to Eric Perez from a respected and informative quasi social media outlet.
1) We admire your love of Rugby League and thank you for bringing Toronto into our great game and making a success of it. We wish you all the best with your upcoming Ottawa venture.
2) Notwithstanding the above, we do, however, with respect have a problem with you collaborating (or allegedly being duped into collaborating) with the parties who have brought the Bulls to their knees three times in the past seven years, and who have now in effect let it become a substantially insolvent business. Two such parties include the current and former Chief Executives of the RFL. They we allege are rightfully accused of the following:
i) Repeatedly turning away investors with millions of pounds to invest in the Bradford Bulls underpinned by robust offers to ultimately pay off creditors; David Thorne being a prime example of one such undoubtedly credible investor who was given the Wood/ Rimmer cold shoulder in early January 2017. Why? Because the ownership of our great club had already been gift wrapped for virtually zilch to Andrew Chalmers' several months prior, and in fact well before Marc Green's Bulls even first entered administration. Scandalous.
ii) Unduly penalising the owners they brought in by withholding a large part of the Sky/central funding money or deducting 6 or 12 points before the season started - yes, some of these actions could to a certain degree arguably be justified, but come on guys you know, and we know, you were for the main part seeking to purposefully 'keep our club down'.
Eric - you may wish to consider why would the RFL do this? We now know the answer - and so we aver do your new colleagues in the oddball BBBBB/BB17 consortium - the Odsal land grab.
We could say more, a lot more, but we will wait for say the likes of a judge to rigorously scrutinise matters in due course. The RL tier 2-3 clubs have been way too slow to complain about all this and their calls for a 'truly independent' inquiry, though well meaning, will likely prove to be far too little, far too late. We recommend a far more direct, and timely intervention.
As for the fine mess you've found yourself in Eric we conclude by offering two comments and two open questions:
a) £350K will not be the level of debt as of the end of November 2019; we are confident that it will be at least £500K plus;
b) How much were Nigel Wood and Mark Sawyer owed by Chalmers and/or BB17 as of the day before the recent fans forums?;
c) Do you really want to be involved in an enterprise that won't even immediately pay back the Bulls' ex and current players, and hard working staff, the pension monies that they were in effect allegedly defrauded of?, and finally
d) As a respected RL journalist legitimately commented this evening ..... "
Very difficult as a supporter to part with your own money for a season ticket when there’s so many smokescreens".
It is high time for new blood to be brought in; not old, (allegedly) bad, blood.