What next for former NRL star Curtis Scott after domestic violence arrest

Curtis Scott was just 24 hours away from resuming training with an NRL club. Instead he was arrested for historical domestic violence charges. What happens next for the troubled centre.

The historical domestic violence charges that were levelled against Curtis Scott came just a day after the sacked Canberra Raider was given permission to join the Parramatta Eels.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Scott was arrested on a Sutherland Shire golf course and charged with assaulting a former partner just 24 hours after the NRL approved a request for the troubled star to begin pre-season training with Parramatta.

While not registering Scott’s playing contract, the NRL gave the troubled star permission to begin the pre-season with the Eels on Thursday.

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Curtis Scott playing for Canberra Raiders. Picture: Alix Sweeney

It was the strongest indication that Scott’s career may continue after he was sacked by the Raiders for a separate alleged assault that remains before the ACT court.

But Scott’s once promising career is now in tatters after police interrupted a golf game at Barden Ridge to take the 24-year-old into custody.

Scott was arrested about 6pm on Wednesday and taken to Sutherland Police Station where he was charged with two counts of intentionally choking a person with recklessness, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, stalk or intimidate, and three counts of common assault.

Scott’s former girlfriend and Australian triple jumper Tay Clark. Picture: Instagram

The former Melbourne Storm and Raiders player is accused of assaulting his former girlfriend Tay-Leiha Clark on multiple occasions in 2018.

An apprehended violence order (AVO) was also taken out by NSW Police on behalf of Clark.

Police sources said it would be alleged in court that Scott had physically assaulted Clark in multiple ways, including choking her.

He was granted conditional police bail to appear in Sutherland Local Court on January 12.

Scott’s NRL career will almost certainly be over should the charges be proved in court.

Curtis Scott (centre) outside Downing Centre court September last year. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

While he cannot be stood down by the NRL as part of the controversial policy that kept Jack de Belin sidelined for almost three years because he does not have an NRL contract, the NRL can refuse to register the contract that has been lodged by the Eels and any future contract should he be able to find another club.

Even if proved innocent, Scott’s contract with the Eels may be killed with the NRL unlikely to register any playing contract until the criminal matter is resolved.

Tay Clark with Curtis Scott. Picture: Twitter

Tay Clark made a series of cryptic posts on Twitter.

Scott’s short career has been overshadowed by controversy.

Stood down after being wrongfully charged with assaulting police in a 2020 incident that saw him awarded damages, Scott was released by the Raiders in 2021 after a series of off-field incidents that included an alleged assault at a Canberra nightclub.

In the months prior to his release he had been stood down by the club and fined $30,000 by the NRL.