Adam Jones has today advised Ospreys Rugby that he will not be re-signing and instead has signed a contract with another region.
We are disappointed with this outcome having worked closely with Adam over a period of many months to find a resolution to the situation that satisfied all parties.
An initial contract offer that was unconditional on any Participation Agreement was made as far back as 2012, an offer that was declined by the player. A further unconditional offer was then made in October 2013 which was subsequently declined as he declared his interest in signing a central contract with the Welsh Rugby Union.
When the proposed central contract failed to materialise we re-entered negotiations and, in good faith, made a new contract offer to the player which was dependent on the terms of any new Participation Agreement which may be concluded.
As has been widely reported, that offer still remains on the table.
While we remain in a difficult situation in terms of no resolution to the Participation Agreement and not knowing our full revenue stream for 2014/15 and beyond, our financial forward planning allowed us to re-contract 16 players as well as completing the signing of eight new players for the coming season.
Unfortunately, with Adam rejecting unconditional offers that were made prior to the expiry of the previous Participation Agreement, the reduction in guaranteed income post 31st December had a direct impact on our ability to re-contract, particularly with other player commitments already completed.