The league will investigate a potential $4 million-plus
payout to Franklin that could be included in a single year if the 26-year-old is delisted or walks away after only five seasons.
The AFL will be prepared to save Sydney from itself by blocking the deal or ensuring the Swans significantly alter it.
The AFL
confirmed it would investigate the deal, interviewing key Sydney officials to ensure they understand the ramifications if the deal backfires.
“As part of the review process by the AFL’s Legal, Integrity and Compliance Depart-ment, key people involved in the proposed Franklin arrangement — at this stage a non-binding offer of a nine-year deal — will be interviewed in the coming days,’’ the league said in a statement
....
Brisbane captain Michael Voss was paid $1 million in the 2007 salary cap under the final year of a back-ended deal despite being retired, a situation the league does not want multiplied over three or four years