“I do not have the contract.”
On the 23rd, National Assembly member Yoo Jeong-ju of the Democratic Party of Korea raised suspicions of ‘kickback’ related to the KBO League FA contract through a press conference at the communication center of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul. Last March, it was claimed that in addition to the cases of former KIA Tigers general manager Jang Jeong-seok and Park Dong-won, there were more than 10 cases where the actual contract and the content of the contract submitted to the KBO League were different.
Rep. Yoo Jeong-ju said, “There is a story that has been established for a long time in the baseball world. It is the free agent kickback deal in professional baseball. The kickback deal that has been rumored so far is that the club president, general manager, and head of the operation team sign a large contract with a free agent player. “This refers to receiving compensation from players,” he said, raising suspicions about ‘kickbacks.’
Rep. Yoo Jeong-ju said, “The player contract signed between the club and the player is based on the principle of writing a unified contract. And the club that signed a contract with a free agent player must submit the contract to the president. However, the FA contract submitted by the club and kept by the KBO is Among them, a number of contracts were discovered that differed from the contents of the baseball yearbook released every year by the KBO. The total amount and options were different from the contents announced by as much as 1.4 billion won and as little as 50 million won, and some of the contracts contained the player’s signature and handwriting. “Something else was discovered,” he said.
He even presented a specific example, citing a player who played for SK Wyverns (currently SSG Landers) in the past. This does not mean that the player gave money to club officials. After a player who qualified as a free agent and a club signed a free agent contract, the document submitted by the club to the KBO contained the signature of a third party other than the player. In other words, the suspicion is that the size of the contract was inflated through a contract that was not written directly with the player, and the difference was stolen.
Attorney Kang Yun-kyung, who held a press conference with Rep. Yoo Jeong-ju, said, “Player A, who completed his FA contract with SK, the predecessor of SSG, several years ago and went to field training, had to go to the police station instead of his home as soon as he returned to Korea. At the time, the detective said, ‘FA contract deposit and guarantee. ‘What did you do with the 100 million won in cash in addition to the annual salary? Did you give it to the club’s general manager?’ he questioned Mr. A. According to the investigator, it is presumed that a club official made kickbacks and took it for himself without the knowledge of A, who signed a free agent contract.” reported.
Next, lawyer Kang Yun-kyung said, “Player A was neither asked for nor given kickbacks by club officials. However, he was suspected by the police because of the club’s own kickbacks, and in the baseball world, he is stigmatized as a ‘bad player who gave kickbacks.'” He added, “SSG is keeping it.” We asked to check the contract of Player A. However, the team gave an unreasonable answer saying that if Player A shows the contract they are keeping first, the club will show it to them. Player A’s actual contract amount, annual salary, and options are in accordance with the contract submitted by the SK club to the KBO. “The content is very different,” he claimed.
Attorney Kang Yun-kyung raised her voice, saying, “If the contract in the KBO’s custody is a contract written by someone without the player’s knowledge, this is a crime equivalent to forgery of a private document. And there is no statute of limitations for the KBO to reinvestigate an incorrect contract,” and Rep. Yoo Jeong-ju said. He emphasized, “If kickbacks were systematically requested from players, rather than just some team officials, and secret kickbacks were made without the players’ knowledge, it would become a ‘professional baseball FA kickback scandal.’”
In a question-and-answer session after the press conference, Rep. Yoo Jeong-ju said, “I can’t say anything other than an official. I received some information from related people and received reference materials about it.” Then, when lawyer Kang Yoon-kyung said, “There are about 10 players whose contract amounts are different from the KBO yearbook, but it is difficult to identify them,” Rep. Yoo Jeong-ju said, “That is what we know and according to the records we have received. However, we estimate that there are more. “I’m not sure yet,” he said.
First of all, Representative Yoo Jeong-ju explained that there were specific details regarding Player A mentioned at the press conference. Attorney Kang Yoon-kyung explained, “In addition to the errors in the document, there are specific details about player A mentioned at the press conference. Although player A is not an active player, there is room for active players to be included. However, it is difficult to appear as a witness.” .
There are about 10 players whose actual contract amount is different from what is revealed in the KBO yearbook, but the player for whom specific evidence has been secured can be considered to be limited to Player A. In the case of player A, he is claiming that the signature on the contract submitted to the KBO is not his handwriting. Attorney Kang Yun-kyung said, “The story started with player A, who can be seen as a victim. He spoke directly about the facts of the damage. And the evidence was collected objectively. Although it did not go to the appraisal stage, player A said that his handwriting was “They say no,” he said.
However, the biggest problem is that currently retired Player A does not have the contract he signed with SK more than 10 years ago. It is true that a police investigation was actually conducted, but given that he does not have a contract, it is clear that it remains to be seen whether club officials took ‘kickback money’. First, the police at the time concluded that there was no suspicion that Player A and the club had exchanged kickbacks and concluded the investigation.스포츠토토
Attorney Kang Yoon-kyung said, “I don’t have the contract. It’s not common sense, but aren’t most athletes thorough with their documents and documentation? It seems the congressman’s office requested government audit materials from the SSG club, but I personally couldn’t obtain them.” “It needs to be confirmed, but I remember that the contract was signed without an agency at the time,” he added.
Attorney Kang Yoon-kyung also raised her voice about other victims, saying, “I cannot definitely identify them, but the scale is not in the 1 to 2 million won range.” Ultimately, the issue is ‘evidence’. First of all, since Player A did not have the contract at the time, Representative Yoo Jeong-ju’s side can be seen as having no evidence. Will it be possible to eradicate the ‘suspicion of kickbacks’ surrounding the KBO League? I just hope that this audit of government affairs does not stop at simply raising suspicions.
