KURT Tippett will go down as the greatest villain in the history of the Adelaide Football Club, according to one of his former teammates.

The player, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Tippett had walked away from the club with few friends and would be a marked man when he next crossed paths with the Crows on the football field, most likely as a Swan.



The player said Tippett lost the respect of his former Crows teammates when he informed them of his decision to quit via text message last month while the fallout from his departure had an even bigger domino effect on the club, forcing it to fight charges of salary cap cheating and draft-tampering.



"Kurt's name is absolute mud at the footy club," the player said.



"The playing group cannot believe how badly he has treated them and the club which invested so heavily in him.



"First he told us he was leaving via text message, rather than face to face, then he went against his word and demanded a trade to Sydney when all along he had told the club he would only leave if it was to go home to Queensland.



"Now he is dragging the club's name through the mud, which has affected the entire playing group."



The player supported former Crow Chris Knights' call that the club's current turmoil could prove unsettling for Adelaide as it prepares to start pre-season training.



"It's had a big unsettling effect," the player said.



"We're about to start pre-season training (today) and all anyone wants to talk about is Kurt Tippett.



"The players can't go anywhere without being asked about him and how we feel about the situation. We are sick to death of hearing his name and really angry about the position Kurt's left the club in. We also feel for Nick Joyce, who has been delisted because of the whole saga."

