Brisbane Broncos chairman says Anthony Seibold copped worst bullying he’s ever seen in rugby league
Broncos chairman says Anthony Seibold has faced the worst harassment he’s ever seen in footy as he was falsely accused of sleeping with players’ partners and taking drugs as the club slid to the wooden spoon
- Anthony Siebold took over as Broncos head coach in 2019
- Siebold proved to be a disaster and was subsequently fired in 2020
- Chairman Karl Morris stunned by ‘relentless criticism’
- Siebold’s Sea Eagles play against the Broncos during Magic Round
Broncos chairman Karl Morris has revealed that former head coach Anthony Siebold was the victim of the worst harassment he has ever seen in his time in rugby league.
The 48-year-old Siebold spent 40 games at Red Hill between 2019 and 2020 – and in the eyes of many it was a disaster.
Brisbane finally finished with the wooden spoon in Seibold’s second season in charge – and while the results were unacceptable for a club of their stature, the current Sea Eagles boss had opponents lined up to ruin his reputation.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Morris told the Courier Mail.
“The pressure he was under from all those people and the sheer ruthlessness of it.
“It was not only unfair, but also unkind. It was completely and unthinkable to me that people would write certain things that they wrote [on social media].
“There were some people who should know better.”
Broncos boss Karl Morris has revealed that former head coach Anthony Siebold (pictured) has experienced the worst cases of bullying he has ever seen in his time in professional rugby league
Siebold, 48, was Brisbane’s head coach for 40 games between 2019 and 2020 – and in the eyes of many it was a time to forget (pictured the struggling squad at a game in 2020)
Morris referred to cruel and unforgiving social media criticism, including false claims that Seibold had slept with his players’ partners, used cocaine and that his wife had left him.
A fed up Seibold later hired cybersecurity experts to pinpoint the source of vile rumors that had been circulating prior to his departure from Brisbane.
He felt his reputation was in tatters due to the rumors and decided to take action when suspicions about his daughter’s mental health were made public.
“It’s been pretty tough…in some ways it’s like the wild west out there,” Seibold said at the time.
“My situation went viral with defamatory remarks. My reputation is ruined in many ways.
“I don’t know what prompted those messages.
‘It’s mean. There is also no accountability in and around social media platforms.”
Following the 2020 Round 13 defeat at the hands of the Rabbitohs, Seibold opted to remain in Sydney and never coach the Broncos again.
Brisbane eventually finished with the wooden spoon in Seibold’s second season in the lead
His departure in less than two seasons to a lucrative five-year deal was confirmed as Brisbane raced to the wooden spoon, winning just three games all season.
“It didn’t work,” said Seibold, reflecting on his time in Brisbane. “It wasn’t healthy for anyone. At the end of the day it was done.’
Seibold returned to the NRL in 2021 as a coaching advisor with the Knights before joining the England national rugby union team under then head coach Eddie Jones.
He made his return to the NRL ranks this season with Manly following the sacking of Des Hasler.
Morris remains adamant that Seibold is a quality coach and feels his time in Brisbane sometimes proves that ‘bad things happen to good people’.
He’s delighted to see ‘Seibs’ now in charge of the Sea Eagles – and he’s also well aware that his former employee will do everything he can to cause a stir when Manly is in the game this weekend. Magic Round against Brisbane.
A win at Suncorp Stadium would be one of Seibold’s most satisfying career wins as it would come at the cost of many Broncos identities desperate to see him fail.