Kirt Edwards Receives $226,137 Settlement for 2014 Dismissal

 A recent article penned by Mike King in the daily Nation Newspaper reported that Kirk Edwards, a former batsman for Barbados and the West Indies, received an out of court settlement from his former employer, The Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) for breach of contract and related losses for $226,137. The settlement stemmed from an incident that occurred in 2014. It was an unfortunate incident which took approximately (8) years to settle. 

Edwards, 37, is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium bowler. He has represented Barbados and the West Indies in cricket. He played club cricket in Barbados for Maple Cricket Club, where he served as team captain during the 2009 Twenty20 Club Champions League competition in Trinidad. He joined the Wanderers Cricket Club in 2010 and made his Test debut for the West Indies against India at Windsor Park in Dominica in July 2011.

A conflict arose between Edwards and the BCA in 2014, when he refused to sign for match kits as he was not in agreement with players having to pay for the damage to the clothes or loss of items within the period stipulated for use. As a result of his refusal to sign the document he was disciplined by Barbados manager Hartley Reid, ahead of the start of the Regional Super50, in a move criticized by the West Indies Players' Association. The BCA relieved him of his position as Barbados captain and later expelled him from the NAGICO Super50 competition in Trinidad & Tobago due to disciplinary issues. He was replaced as captain by Kevin Stoute for the domestic one-day tournament, being held in Trinidad and Tobago. 

Edwards had consulted the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), who in an effort to negotiate a settlement proposed to sign the contract on his behalf and to assume financial responsibility for any costs associated with replacing the equipment; however, that offer was rejected by the BCA. Edwards was dismissed and removed as a member of the cricket team despite he had a good track record both in terms of performance on the field as well as in relation to disciplinary matters. According to him he had an unblemished record which the BCA seem not to have taken into consideration. He said that the BCA never informed him that they were concerned about his behaviour.

His achievements at the time the dismissal occurred were impressive and included the following:

1. He led Barbados to the one-day cricket tournament title in 2013

2. He received a good report from the A team, specifically the West Indies Cricket Board President just before being disciplined in 2014

3. He became the first player at Windsor Park where he made his debut to hit a Test century and the 13th West Indies batsman to do so in his Test debut with 110 runs in the second innings.

4. He served as a coach for the Phoenix Cricket Club in Ireland in 2008. 

5. He made ten first-class hundreds with a career-best 190 against Sri Lanka A at Warner Park and two Test centuries. 

Edwards reported that he was shocked by the decision of the BCA to sack him and told reporters that what happened afterwards was extremely devastating to his career. He reported that he was never quite the same player after the 2014 incident which impacted negatively on his cricketing career. He claimed that the entire episode created a stigma against him and gave the public the notion that he was someone not to be connected with. “I became banned, and I thought some of it was personal. I went from being a leader to being bothersome. My wearing my cap backwards during football warm-ups and placing my feet on a wall during a dressing room meeting both caused controversy.” Further he said that he was represented as the evil person. 

This ought to be a lesson for the BCA and other cricketing associations in the Caribbean that appear to remove players in a very hasty manner.  Going forward the BCA should be more cautious in dealing with disciplinary matters. Perhaps they can take the following factors into consideration after they have followed the disciplinary procedure as outlined in the Employment Rights Act and before making a decision:

• Any justification offered by Player/Employee, including any defenses she has made. Does this seem inconsistent with how he usually acts? 

• Prior disciplinary history and usual behavior. Again, the association might not have strong grounds if the player/employee often performs admirably and has a lengthy and spotless history with the organization.

• Suitability of the punishment. As with any choice on disciplinary action, the association should think about whether a less severe punishment might be more fitting.

• Preventing an unfair influence on the player/employee. Does the dismissal seem excessive in light of the consequences? For instance, what will a dismissal do to player/employee mentally and career wise? Will it significantly reduce his prospects of obtaining a new position with another entity?

The association needs to use caution and think carefully about whether dismissal is an appropriate course of action. Even though a player/employee who has committed an act of gross misconduct can be dismissed, the association shouldn't automatically assume that they may do so without significant consequences.