Sports > Other Sports

Njisane Phillip Thread

<< < (2/2)

Flex:
I put out my money to help the team
JONATHAN RAMNANANSINGH (NEWSDAY).

PHILLIP Whiteman, stepfather of two-time Olympian Njisane Phillip, has denied claims made by a local newspaper that he owes the TT Cycling Federation (TTCF) money for equipment purchased during the national team’s Olympic qualifier campaign in 2019.

The story, which was published on Monday and Tuesday in the daily newspaper, said Whiteman was given TT$375,000 by the TTCF to travel to France to complete the purchase of wheels for the touring sprint quartet of Phillip, Nicholas Paul, Kwesi Browne and Keron Bramble.

It said Whiteman “refused to hand over the remaining amount, although the invoices clearly showed there was an outstanding balance from the purchase of equipment”.

However, Whiteman refuted these claims and revealed the equipment was among a lengthy list of essentials which were purchased personally by him, from his credit card, to which he submitted the necessary invoices to TTCF and was reimbursed in full, in three tranches.

According to the Sport Company of TT (SporTT) director, the duration being incorrectly reported on spans between November and December 2019 when TT, under the guidance of then-coach Erin Hartwell, travelled to China and New Zealand for the International Cycling Union (UCI) World Cup campaign.

“After speaking with Larry Romany (then TTCF president) and having the chairman and CEO of SporTT having no objection to me assisting them, I put out my money to pay for the expenses for the team. TTCF paid nothing for the two World Cups because they applied to SporTT late for funds.

“The TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) decided they would help because they realised how important it was for the boys to qualify for Tokyo. TTCF were going to get money from the Sport and Culture Fund but were unable to at the time. So I said I would pay and they would reimburse me. This was because I had the credit cards with available credit limit for US dollars,” he stated.

Whiteman also produced a four-page spread sheet of expenses he incurred on behalf of the team during that duration, all of which he said was reimbursed. Visas, wheels, food, supplements, helmets, transport, accommodation in Hong Kong among a host of other necessary items altogether tallied almost TT$350,000.

He continued, “TTOC paid for the airfares. I paid everything up to New Zealand. I paid all the overweight for the riders. I bought the tyres and rims. I did not go to France. I ordered the equipment from France and had them airfreighted into Hong Kong. I bought helmets for Kwesi Browne and others. All these things are what they applied to the Sport and Culture Fund for. They didn’t have the money, I paid for it.

“I paid for all their meals in New Zealand, the hotel in Hong Kong, for bike boxes. I had to get new bike boxes there for the whole team. I had to order uniforms from the US because those that we (TT) went to Hong Kong with were full of holes. I ordered from Vie13 (sport apparel producer). I had US cyclists bring in racing socks from the US to Hong Kong for the TT cyclists.”

He admitted that he was speedily reimbursed by the TTCF since they received the finances disbursed by the Sport and Culture Fund during and after the World Cups.

Whiteman, who is also a contractor, indicated that the TTCF is supposed to also have a copy of these invoices and if they have been misplaced, they should have asked him to come in and bring all the receipts for their perusal.

He further criticised the report which also said he served as the team manager during the World Cups. According to him, he has never been selected in any official position with the national team although he has been travelling the globe with Phillip, paying his own expenses, for the past 15 years of his stepson’s decorated sprinting career.

Whiteman added, “I was not the manager. There was no manager. Erin (Hartwell) used to call me the ‘financier’. I was just there to pay the bills and help. I’ve gone on these campaigns for the many years with Njisane. I’m not there in official capacity but if they want something, and I can assist, I’ll go get it for them. I’m here to help the boys.

“When we departed on this trip not a single member of the TTCF was there to see the team leaving. I had to send my personal vehicles to transport all the athletes and bikes to the airport. I’ve done these things over the years without asking for a cent back. It’s not now I’ve been financing these people. I was in Europe for the last set of World Cups. I paid my own airfare, my own hotel, paid to assist Erin to rent two vehicles.”

After the initial report was published on Monday, TTCF issued a press release on the same day distancing itself from several statements written in the daily newspaper. The printed report claimed a (TTCF) “general council member speaking on the condition of anonymity” shared the information that Whiteman owed an “outstanding balance.”

The letter which was penned by TTCF president Joseph Roberts read, “The ‘anonymous’ source quoted in the article does not have all the facts. The only persons authorised to officially speak on behalf of the TTCF are the president (Roberts) and the PRO (Roxanne Chapman). The TTCF therefore distances itself and wishes to advise that after the matter is addressed, an official statement will then be made.”

Whiteman considers the slur of incorrect statements printed as character assassination and defamation of his character, especially as a sitting member on SporTT’s board.

He concluded, “A response will be forthcoming from my attorneys of the offending parties.”

Flex:
TTCF threatens to sue Njisane over US$15k wheels
JONATHAN RAMNANANSINGH  (NEWSDAY).

THE TT Cycling Federation (TTCF) has issued a pre-action protocol letter to national cyclist Njisane Phillip requesting the immediate return of five new Mavic wheels which he allegedly took, without approval, from the National Cycling Centre (NCC) in Couva on December 23, 2019.

The legal letter, which was sent by attorney Adriana Marine of Virtus Chambers in Port of Spain, on Friday, demands the two-time Olympian return the wheels “in the condition in which they were taken, that is, new”.

If the 29-year old speedster is unable to do so, he can, alternatively, pay the US$15,600 value of the wheels. Additionally, Phillip is also asked to pay the TTCF’s legal costs to date, which amounts to $TT7,500.

The multiple-time national sprint champion is required to issue a response to TTCF’s legal team within 28 days or legal proceedings will commence.

According to the legal document, on or about December 23 last year, Phillip allegedly took five Mavic race wheels (two rear disk, two front disk and an iO five spoke) from the NCC office of former technical director for cycling and national coach Erin Hartwell.

Hartwell allegedly told Phillip not to remove the wheels and reminded him the equipment belonged to the TTCF and was procured for use by national athletes through the Sport and Cultural Fund grant.

The letter says Hartwell also told Phillip that he would have to report “the theft” to SporTT and the TTCF, which he did, four days later.

The cyclist's action, according to the pre-action protocol letter, saw the TTCF incur US$15,600 in loss and damages and also resulted in there being only three wheels left for use by the remaining three riders on the national team.”

On December 24, 2019, Phillip sent a letter to TTCF explaining his actions.

The 2012 Olympian said he would use the wheels to continue to train but noted that the TT cycling team had previously been using his wheels, his personal property, for training and competition over the past two years.

Phillip’s letter read, “Five wheels have been destroyed during this time without any reimbursement to myself...I do intend to continue to train myself as an athlete for TT as a cyclist (2024 Olympic campaign) using the equipment purchased for our use and such I have taken three wheels for this purpose.”

According to a similar letter sent to TTCF by Phillip's national teammate Keron Bramble, on December 24, it was revealed that the latter was in possession of the next two wheels.

TTCF’s legal letter noted, “You, without the knowledge, permission, authority, consent and/or acquaintance of the TTCF 'loaned' and/or temporarily permitted the said Keron Bramble to take possession of two of the said wheels.”

After receiving Hartwell’s report on the incident at NCC, on December 27, TTCF’s racing committee chairman Joseph Roberts and assistant racing secretary David Francis said they met with Phillip to appeal for the return of the wheels.

On January 31, 2020, racing secretary Jacqui Corbin allegedly contacted Phillip with another request to return TTCF’s property by of before February 4. TTCF also reached out to Phillip’s local club (Rigtech Sonics) president David Voisin “in hopes that an amicable resolution of this matter would be forthcoming.”

After examining the letter of explanation sent by Phillip on December 24, 2019, the TTCF attorney said Phillip “knowingly misappropriated, with the intention to deprive the TTCF, of property belonging to the TTCF.”

Marine added, “The property was that of the TTCF and it was solely within the remit of the TTCF to determine how and when its own property would be utilised."

The pre-action letter said notwithstanding Phillip's claim that his wheels were used for free by national cyclists for two years, he had no legal right to seize TTCF property as compensation.

“The allegation of the authorised use of five wheels that belonged to you over the last two years does not in law or in fact authorise you to misappropriate the property of the TTCF.

“Based on your correspondence and subsequent conduct it is evident that you knowingly removed said wheels without authority to so do and with the intention to permanently deprive the TTCF of its property.”

To support its claims, the TTCF also attached four documents to the pre-action protocol letter as reference.

The first being a letter from the Sport and Culture Fund informing the TTCF that their application for funding to purchase equipment for five cyclists had been approved in part.

The second and third documents were those sent in by Phillip and Bramble respectively to the TTCF, highlighting their intentions to use the five wheels “for training purposes”.

The final document was TTCF’s January 31 letter to Phillip, signed by Corbin, requesting the return of TTCF’s property.

The pre-action protocol letter was issued under the authority of the TTCF’s trustees, president Joseph Roberts and Joel Browne.

Newsday tried to contact Phillip, who is currently abroad, via social media messaging on Sunday but up to press time he did not respond. Close affiliates of Phillip also declined to comment.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[*] Previous page