- Josh Addo-Carr has been issued a breach notice by the NRL
- Canterbury Bulldogs winger failed roadside drugs test
- He has pleaded his innocence, but his future hangs by a thread
The NRL has issued Josh Addo-Carr a warning following his positive drugs test.
Addo-Carr, 29, tested positive for cocaine during a roadside drugs test the week before Canterbury’s finals match against Manly.
The winger has long maintained his innocence but pulled out of the crucial match, accepted a police fine and a driving ban, and also failed a second drugs test, raising questions about ‘inconsistencies’ in the saga.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the NRL confirmed that notice of the infringement had been served on Addo-Carr.
“The National Rugby League (NRL) has today issued a warning to Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs player Josh Addo-Carr alleging he has breached the NRL Code of Conduct,” the NRL said.
‘Addo-Carr was fined by NSW Police earlier this month for the offence of ‘presence of prescribed illegal drugs in a person’s saliva, blood or urine’ while operating a motor vehicle.
‘The notice of infringement alleges that Addo-Carr has engaged in conduct contrary to law and has brought the sport and his club into disrepute.’
Addo-Carr has five days to respond to the infringement notice.
Josh Addo-Carr has been issued a breach notice by the NRL
Canterbury winger has pleaded his innocence after failing a drugs test
The winger was questioned for two hours by football associations last week, during which he was asked to explain the details of the incident.
Canterbury are awaiting the outcome of the NRL investigation before deciding what action to take against Addo-Carr. Chief executive Phil Gould said the player’s version of events “changed slightly from day to day, depending on what was revealed”.
“We ended up having a positive drug test, there were drugs in his system,” Gould said on the Six tackles with Gus podcasting.
“I believe he still maintains his innocence. But at (some point) he’s going to have to explain to himself and to the people who matter how exactly that happened and why it happened.
“And why we’ve experienced what we’ve experienced over the past week.”