Former Cronulla forward Chris Heighington insists he has no reason to believe any third-party deals he agreed to were in breach of the salary cap while at the Sharks.
Heighington became the first player to be directly embroiled in the scandal on Friday when Fairfax Media claimed it was a $50,000 third-party deal for the English international that raised eyebrows of the Sharks' new management earlier this year.
The club has since self-reported "discrepancies" to the NRL, and information has been handed over to the integrity unit for an investigation.
There was also no suggestion Heighington had acted improperly or knew of any potential issues with the deal, after he joined the club in 2013 and was a part of their maiden premiership in 2016.
But as he prepared for his final game in the NRL ahead of his retirement at Newcastle, the veteran forward maintained everything he had been involved in had been above board.
"I was surprised this morning when I woke up and I saw my head all over the paper," he said.
"Every third-party (deal) I've had has all been organised by my manager, signed off by the NRL and signed off by the Cronulla Sharks.
"So I can wake up every morning knowing I have done nothing wrong. I'm happy I've done nothing wrong and I wake up every day with a clear mind."
Heighington's deal was all but confirmed to be the one of concern by Sharks coach Shane Flanagan on Friday, who said he wasn't aware of any discrepancies until earlier this year.
The forward's manager, Wayne Beavis, has also insisted the NRL was aware of any third-party deal he organised for the veteran while at Cronulla.
Regardless, the news comes at an unfortunate time for Heighington who will play his 338th and final NRL game on Saturday against St George Illawarra.
"It's a bit disappointing that it's happened the eve before my last game," Heighington said.
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