Crown Resorts new group chief executive has publicly questioned the honesty of Wayne Carey amid the white powder scandal engulfing the former AFL star.
Crown Resorts new group chief executive has publicly questioned the honesty of Wayne Carey amid the white powder scandal engulfing the former AFL star.
Four days into his new role, Ciaran Carruthers says his staff at Crown Perth followed the correct protocols last Thursday night, when Mr Carey dropped a bag of white powder on a gaming table.
But Mr Carruthers appeared surprised that the police were not contacted on the night.
"The procedures were in accordance with the processes that were in in place then," he told 6PR's Liam Bartlett. "Would I have liked the police to have been called? Absolutely. That is now the process.
"It would have been easier to deal with this if the police had of been called. In my 30-plus years in this industry, my high expectation, my insistance is that if there is a suspicion of illegal activity we contact the authorities immediately."
Mr Carey has since claimed the substance was anti-inflammatory powder to help manage ongoing pain from his 272-game AFL career, during which he won two premierships with North Melbourne.
He has been stood down from his commentary role with the Seven network and banned from entering any Crown facility.
Mr Carruthers, who was hired by Crown's new owners Blackstone Group, explained how the incident unfolded and said Mr Carey misled staff before he was asked to leave the casino and hotel complex.
He said the croupier who reported seeing the packet of white powder was unaware of Mr Carey's celebrity status when he pulled cash from his pocket to buy chips at the table.
"The packet fell to the table, the gaming staff noticed it straight away," he said. "Mr Carey regained it and placed it back in his pocket and left the table. We weren't in a position then to be able to remove it from him."
Believing Mr Carey was acting suspiciously, security staff asked him to leave the Burswood complex, but didn't have the power to search him for the packet.
"He kept it and beyond that I have no idea what's happened to it," the Crown boss said. "He removed it from the table, placed it back on his person and moved on."
Mr Carey has since claimed he offered the packet to security officers so they could confirm it wasn't an illegal substance.
"That's in contradicton to statements we have received from our own staff and witnesses at the time," Mr Carruthers said.
According to Mr Carruthers, Mr Carey also denied being a hotel guest when asked by staff.
"We subsequently found that wasn't the case and that he was staying in one of the rooms," he said. "Our team then approached him in his room and told him he needed to vacate.
"He cooperated, asked for some time to collect his belongings, and then removed himself from the property."
Police commissioner Col Blanch has been critical of Crown for not reporting the incident immediately and Mr Carruthers agrees.
Mr Carey is due to speak at a function in New South Wales today, and through a lawyer is threatening to sue Crown.
In a statment the lawyer said Mr Carey was distressed and felt discriminated against on the grounds of his football injury impairments.
Mr Carruthers rejected the allegation and said he was disappointed Mr Carey was suggesting the incident was affecting his mental health.
"There was no discrimination," he told 6PR. "We could not have been aware even if it were true that there was an issue with health. We dealt with this as we would with any issue of suspicion on the property.
"Mental health is a serious concern. For this particular incident to be dragged into that realm is unfortunate."
