Hang on, his agent is involved, and benefit of the doubt might not have been in on all the facts from the off. Everton have had plenty of issues with agents. Agents are the cancer, not always just the players.
Why would Higgins lose four matches for £260k? As top 16 he gets auto entry to the final stages - so no qualifying - where odds would be longest.
Also, though something has happened, it has happened under the eye of the 'news of the world' which is the the weekend 'sun', and no one reads that sewer rag.