Cronulla Sharks chairman Damian Irvine. Photo: John Veage
Cronulla Sharks chairman Damian Irvine has quit the embattled NRL club.
Irvine had been under intense pressure after the board's controversial standing down of coach Shane Flanagan and the sacking of key staff members including Darren Mooney, Mark Noakes, David Givney and Konrad Schultz.
Former Sharks player Glenn Coleman will be the new chairman.
Irvine said he felt his "presence at the club may prove to be an obstacle" to the investigation into drugs at the Sharks.
"As a result I'm standing down as the chairman of the board of directors today. The club needs time to investigate and plan the way forward without added distraction.
"We have a bright future financially at the Cronulla Sharks. Our membership is booming compared to previous years and we're not going anywhere.
"There's no stronger or tougher club to get through it.
"The NRL have been very supportive. They're in a difficult position as well. The players are under the ASADA code, we are under the NRL code, it's very complicated."
Coleman said: "We need to focus 100 per cent on the interests of our player who are in this ASADA investigation.
"We've got a review in place at the moment which we want to get through as quickly as possible."
Former Brisbane Broncos chief executive Bruno Cullen will start at the Sharks today.
"Bruno is a friend of mine," Irvine said. "I've known him for a while. He will come in and help at a time when a board had to make a very difficult decision at a hard time."
Cronulla kicked off their season with a 12-10 win over the Gold Coast Titans at Sharks Stadium on Sunday night. Players and fans were open in their support for Flanagan, Mooney, Noakes, Givney and Schultz.