Melbourne Storm chairman Rob Moodie has offered his resignation to club owners News Limited, although they haven't accepted it.
Moodie says he's convinced the Storm will survive, but admits there's a chance they'll fold, he also admits several sponsors are set walk away from the club.
"I've offered my resignation to (club owners) News Limited and it will stay there," Moodie told reporters on Friday.
"They haven't accepted it, if they want me to go, I will go."
"Some (Storm employees) will want to walk, some fans will want to walk," he said.
"Some sponsors will obviously want to move on. We understand that."
Salary cap scandal
It was revealed yesterday that the Storm had been involved in a massive salary cap rort which involved concealing $1.7 million worth of illegal payments to its top players over five years.
Premiers Melbourne Storm have been stripped of two NRL premierships and fined a total of $1.6 million after being caught breaching salary cap rules.
NRL chief executive David Gallop announced they would also not be allowed to accrue any premiership points in the 2010 season.
Bank pulls sponsorship
Melbourne Storm's major sponsor, ME Bank have pulled the plug on their association with the embattled club.
ME Bank chief executive Jamie McPhee said they were extremely disappointed to discover the Storm had rorted the salary cap by concealing $1.7 million worth of player payments over a five-year period.
"As an organisation ME Bank believes in the principles of strong governance, transparency, integrity, and fairness and we seek to ensure that all of our corporate and community partnerships uphold these same values," McPhee said.
Carr urges News Ltd to stick behind NRL
Australian Rugby League chief executive Geoff Carr is hopeful Melbourne Storm owners News Ltd will stick behind the disgraced NRL club, as the league's co-owners continue negotiations on an independent commission.
The ARL and News, co-owners of the NRL since the Super League truce in 1998, are in ongoing talks about exiting the game and replacing its management structure with a commission.
Funding the loss-making Storm has been one of the major sticking points, with News demanding $30 million be made available over the next six years to ensure the club's survival.
"News Ltd ... are obviously not happy but they are a pretty big corporation, they know the importance of Melbourne, it's their franchise," Carr told Sky Sports radio.
"I would hope that they continue to stay strongly behind them as they have in the past."
Carr said an NRL club in the AFL heartland of Melbourne was still vitally important for the game.
Concern over Waldron's welfare
Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby chairman Harold Mitchell says he's concerned about the welfare of Brian Waldron after accepting the chief executive's resignation this morning.
Waldron, who's the man at the centre of the Melbourne Storm salary cap rort, quit the club after the revelations surfaced.
Mitchell says he's concerned about Waldron and his family after he was accused by News Limited chief executive John Hartigan of being the architect of the salary cap rorts.
Long-term Australian Rugby Union official Pat Wilson will be acting CEO of the Rebels.
Mitchell has also ordered a review of all Rebels accounts and books by the auditors Deloitte in the wake of the scandal.
Political fallout
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has backed the penalties imposed on the Melbourne Storm following revelations the club rorted the NRL salary cap by more than one-and-a-half million dollars.
The Storm has been stripped of two premierships three minor premierships and fined a total of 1.6 million dollars after being found guilty of long-term salary cap breaches.
Mr Rudd has told the Seven Network the punishment imposed by the NRL is fair for what seems to be the worst possible breach.
He says Storm fans may think the penalties are harsh but the rules of the game must be defended.
Bellamy's job safe ... for now
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy's job with the NSW State of Origin side is safe - for now.
Geoff Carr has backed Bellamy to lead the Blues in a third straight series so long as further revelations about the Storm's NRL salary cap rort do not implicate the coach.
"As far as the NSWRL is concerned, Craig Bellamy is the coach unless something that we can't anticipate happens," Carr told Sky Sports radio on Friday
"On the evidence that we have, we can only assume that he knew nothing about it so we want to make sure that preparations continue.
"Obviously if there are further revelations, we might have to re- think but at this stage we're certainly standing behind Craig."
Carr, a former St George chief executive, said he believed it unlikely that Bellamy would have been aware of the Storm's $1.7 million cap breach over the past five years.
"It's very difficult unless you know the whole quantum, the details of the 25 players, to know whether your club's breaching the salary cap," Carr said.
"I've run a club before ... and I would be really, really surprised if Craig was across all the detail of all the salaries.
"I would say fairly comfortably that he wouldn't have been so, unless you're across everything, you wouldn't know."
"I've spoken to John Fordham, his manager, last night who said Craig was shattered but certainly was of the opinion that he just was oblivious to it all."
Police not investigating
Victorian police have not been asked to investigate Melbourne Storm's breach of the NRL salary cap.
In a statement on Friday, a Victoria Police spokeswoman said: "Victoria Police have not received a complaint or a request to investigate at this stage".
The Storm has been stripped of the titles they won against the Sea Eagles and the Eels in 2007 and 2009 respectively, as well as three minor premierships, for breaching the salary cap.
Melbourne have also been hit with $1.6 million in fines and are unable to accrue any further points this season, as well as having their points earned to date deducted.
