Unless an 11th hour retraction and public apology is issued, the New Zealand captain is set to sue over unfounded allegations listed in documents released into the public domain. Papers are set to be filed with the Hamilton District Court on Monday.
The explosive nature of the material prompted McCullum to instruct his lawyer Garth Gallaway to threaten legal action unless a suitable apology and retraction was issued.
The initial deadline was missed. Some redrafting and elaboration of the first effort is understood to have been requested to specifically deal with material McCullum believed was false. If no retraction is forthcoming, the matter will end up in court.
Coach Mike Hesson has instructed his lawyers to do likewise. When contacted he said: "The matter is in the hands of my lawyers. I have no further comment.''
Gallaway could not be reached for comment, nor could Parker's lawyer and fellow director in The Sport Management and Training Group, John Wiltshire.
Parker is currently in the Middle East on business.
Any legal action issued by McCullum and Hesson is expected to target the original recipients of the unfounded allegations and anyone, including media, who published, forwarded or broadcast it.
The Parker movement's main aim has always been to gain more influence on the New Zealand Cricket board for former players. Until past national representatives Ian Smith and Mark Greatbatch officially came forward, Parker had been alone in attaching his name to the group in the interests of focusing on principles rather than personalities. That came undone with the release of a 77-bullet point plan and an email trail earlier this month, time-lining alleged recent incidents within the team.
The issue raises questions about the credibility of the Parker movement in pitching forth potential board members if hearsay, speculation and rumour were reported as fact.
There can be no doubting Parker's passion for the game and his intentions to improve the current circumstances with a board and administration which has struggled to deal with the Ross Taylor captaincy saga.
- David Leggat
