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December 16, 2015

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Lomu died ‘penniless’, says trust

LEGENDARY All Blacks winger Jonah Lomu died almost penniless, according to the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association which has established a trust to provide for his two young sons.

Association chief executive Rob Nichol said once Lomu’s complex finances had been disentangled “there’s not going to be any great windfall. There’s no great savings there. There’s certainly nothing that’s going to sustain any ongoing financial benefit for the family”.

Nichol said “what we’ve seen is a statement of where it’s at and it’s not there, assets and liabilities-wise. Our assessment is the family aren’t going to be able to rely on any financial proceeds or ongoing benefits”.

In an interview on Monday, Nichol said the association had been aware for some time that Lomu’s financial position “may not have been great”. It was for that reason business people and friends of Lomu had worked with the association to establish a charitable trust to help provide for his sons Dhyreille, 6, and Brayley, 5.

Lomu, who died last month aged 40, battled a serious kidney ailment for 20 years, undergoing a transplant in 2004. Nichol said Lomu’s health had affected his earning ability in his years since his retirement from rugby.

“People have presumed or assumed that he has been able to earn quite good money over the last 10 to 15 years but his illness and the treatment he has had to go through have severely hindered his ability to do that,” Nichol said.




 

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