BY STAFF WRITERS

Ralph Kelly – the CEO of the Stay Kind charity – has defended former NRL CEO Todd Greenberg after he abruptly quit his post earlier this week amid a wave of media pressure.

Kelly has lost two sons (Thomas was coward punched on a night out and his brother Stuart would then take his own life) and took to LinkedIn to explain how his friendship with Greenberg began.

“I’ve known Todd Greenberg for some eight years now, since Thomas (who was 18 at the time) was killed in an unprovoked assault in Sydney’s King Cross in July 2012,” Kelly wrote.

“We developed a friendship that later extended to his entire family as we got to spend time together on formal and informal occasions. For those who personally know Todd, they will ALL tell you what a truly remarkable person he is.

“Let me give you some insights. He is kind, and caring, a passionate human being, along with a great sense of humour, a husband and a great dad. He’s always ‘in the moment’, always involved, makes decisions and tells it for what it is – you know where you stand with Todd.

“In July 2016, my youngest child, Stuart (also 18) took his life in the early hours of a Monday morning. Just four days later as we were driving to a friends property in the Hunter Valley to escape Sydney and find some solace, Todd called me – he had just heard the news about Stuart, and asked if we were okay if at the Parramatta Eels game that night, they could hold a minutes silence for Stu.

“A remarkable gentleman. We need more Todd’s in this world.”