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| - Ed Griffiths has resigned as interim chief executive of disgraced Saracens with immediate effect just 26 days into a 12-month contract, the English Premiership champions announced Tuesday. A former senior official with the South Africa Rugby Union, Griffiths had rejoined Saracens in a bid to guide them through the salary cap scandal that led to the London side accepting they will be relegated at the end of the season. But Griffiths, in a Saracens statement, insisted: "This was always going to be a very short-term appointment, and others are well-placed to drive forward the rebuilding of the club." Last week Griffiths denied reports he had been working as a cricket agent following allegations he had been reported to the England and Wales Cricket Board. British media reported the ECB were investigating a possible conflict of interest over his consultancy role with county club Middlesex. "I have worked as a consultant acting for Middlesex for the last three years, helping players there with areas beyond cricket, and that's involved doing lots of things that would perhaps in other circumstances be thought of as things an agent would do," Griffiths told the Press Association. "But I have only ever been acting on behalf of and for Middlesex." He has joined former Saracens chairman Nigel Wray and former chief executive Mittesh Vital in quitting his post following one of the biggest scandals in English club rugby history. Last week also saw Premiership Rugby finally release a previously confidential report into Saracens which explained why the reigning English and European champions were fined £5.36 million ($7.02 million) and docked 35 league points for breaking the salary cap for the past three completed seasons. The report does not cover the current campaign, at the end of which Saracens will be relegated because they have continued to exceed the £7 million limit. Although Saracens have now breached salary cap regulations in five of the last seven seasons, PRL regulations mean they cannot be stripped of their English titles. Saracens have supplied seven members of the England squad for this weekend's Six Nations opener away to France, including captain Owen Farrell. This will be England's first match since losing the World Cup final to South Africa in Japan in November. jdg/dmc
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