South Sydney Rabbitohs forward Jai Arrow has medically retired from the NRL over a shoulder injury.
Arrow has been unable to take to the field over nerve issues with his shoulder, and the club confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that Arrow would be medically retire from the competition.
In a statement, the Rabbitohs confirmed Arrow has a diagnosis of Motor Neruone Disease (MND).
At an emotional press conference, Arrow fought back tears as Blake Solly, club chief executive, read a pre-prepared statement.
"Thank you everyone for being here and the support I've received over what has been an incredibly difficult and uncertain period of my life," Solly read.
"After extensive medical testing and consultations regarding ongoing symptoms, I have recently received a diagnosis relating to nerve and neurological condition. Further tests, specialist reviews and medical processes are still ongoing and my doctors are continuing to assess my condition.
"Over recent months, my symptoms have impacted different parts of my everyday life. On medical advice, I am not currently cleared to play or train at the required level, and I will be stepping away from those duties while I focus fully on my health, treatment and rehabilitation.
"I want to sincerely thank everyone at the Rabbitohs for the personal support they have shown me and my family throughout this process.
"Teammates, staff and everybody behind the scenes have made an incredibly hard situation easier to face.
"To my teammates, thankyou for treating me the same every single day. Within moments of walking through the doors, most of you are making me laugh with the usual banter and I wouldn't want it any other way.
"To my family and close mates, thankyou for standing beside me through all of this. I know the road ahead won't be easy, but anyone who knows me knows I'm competitive, stubborn and ready to fight this with everything I've got. What I need right now isn't sympathy or sadness, what I need is support, privacy and understanding while my family and I navigate this difficult time.
"This is only part of my story and when the time is right, I'll share now, but for now, I ask for everyone to respect my privacy while I work with my doctors.
"Love you all.
"Jai."
Arrow retires with 178 NRL games to his name to go with 12 State of Origins for Queensland.
The 30-year-old played for the Brisbane Broncos in 2016 and 2017 to launch his career, before spending three years at the Gold Coast Tians.
He joined the Rabbitohs in 2021 and played 98 games for the club.
Arrow also won the Rabbitohs player of the year award in 2025 and was also named clubperson of the year.
Rabbitohs head coach Wayne Bennett also paid credit to Arrow.
“Jai is an honest, genuine, hard-working young man who always puts his family and his team first. He has always been the same," Bennett said.
“This is a difficult time for Jai and his family, however we want to pay tribute to him for everything he has given his teammates, his coaches and his communities in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the people of Queensland, and here in South Sydney.
“Most importantly, we pay tribute to him for the family man he has become. He is a special guy and we're all very lucky to have him at our Club and in our lives.”
