Former NRL boss Todd Greenberg lists the success of the women’s league plus tighter concussion rules among his proudest contributions to the game.
In his first interview since his resignation on Monday, Greenberg also singled out the 2017 grand final performance of Macklemore as a highlight of his tenure.
“Things like the advent of the women’s game and the growth we’ve had in NRLW, I hope to see that prosper in the years to come,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“Sitting at the 2017 grand final and watching Macklemore perform, seeing the inclusiveness of the sport portrayed was fantastic.
“In more recent times, the work the game’s done on concussion and protocols around players has been world-class. There’s a lot of things I’ve been proud of.
“It’s been a wild ride and I’ve enjoyed every bit of it.”
League followers were stunned this week when Greenberg and the governing body mutually agreed on his immediate departure from the game.
Speculation had been mounting in recent months that Greenberg was quickly losing support as the league’s chief executive.
The coronavirus outbreak resulted in a stay of execution, and there were suggestions the former Canterbury CEO could earn an extension.
But an explosive attack from broadcast partner Channel Nine last week led to Greenberg calling it quits six months before his contract expired.
Greenberg, who was reportedly frozen out of recent broadcast meetings, insisted he wouldn’t have done anything differently over his four years in charge.
“You can’t look through the prism of hindsight. You do what you think is best at the time. Everyone’s human. You’re going to make mistakes occasionally,” he said.
“But one thing I think people know about me is I was always upfront.”
He said he was always prepared to front the media in good and bad times.
The league last year controversially introduced its no-fault stand-down policy for players charged with serious criminal offences following its summer from hell.
“There was a lot of difficult moments through my tenure. A lot of hard decisions. That’s not to say we got them all right,” Greenberg said.
“But we were always upfront about it and I always did it with the game’s best interests at heart. And that always comes with criticism but that’s okay.
“I’m a realist.”