Widely recognised as one of the most open, decorated and candid players in the NRL, Josh Addo-Carr has lately found himself under the microscope, coming under fire for an incident that took place at the recent Koori Knockout.
Social media was set ablaze on September 30 with the news that 'police were investigating' an 'all-in brawl' involving Josh Addo-Carr.
Slowly, the story was expanded upon across the media to clarify that Addo-Carr had been briefly knocked out by an illegal head-high tackle within the context of a football game, before later getting to his feet and throwing a punch.
As a result of the punch, Addo-Carr was handed a breach notice from the NRL Integrity Unit which will see him ruled out for two matches. Unless he contests the matter, he will play no part in the Pacific Championships where he was selected as a winger in the Australian side.
It's definitely an incident that Addo-Carr will be remorseful about, but one that demonstrates the need for media outlets to ensure that full information is available before publication.
Highly speculative stories have now surfaced about rumours that the Bulldogs may now want to terminate his contract and move him on.
Without identifying any sources, the SMH reports that "There is a mixed view of him at every level of the club – from the board to the playing group. Some love him, but some expect more of him as a senior player."
The more palatable position is that this story and the subsequent breach notice is intriguing due to the upcoming Pacific Championships where Addo-Carr's centre pairing in Valentine Holmes is serving a one-match ban for posting a photo of himself holding a small bag of white powder in his mouth.
