Phone charger, drugs test and finals pain: Inside the 96 hours that could change Josh Addo-Carr’s life
Josh Addo-Carr’s snap halftime decision to drive to an Ezymart in pursuit of a phone charger could have career-defining ramifications. See the inside story of the 96 hours that could change the Bulldog’s life.
It’s roughly three kilometres from Accor Stadium to Baywater Drive in Wentworth Point.
It may be a short drive, but those five minutes could have career-defining ramifications for Josh Addo-Carr and the Bulldogs’ hopes of ending a premiership drought that now stretches back two decades.
Addo-Carr on Tuesday opted to take himself out of contention for the Bulldogs side to play Manly at Accor Stadium on Sunday afternoon, having returned a positive indication for cocaine in a roadside drug test on Baywater Drive on Friday night. No charges or criminal action has been taken.
It capped a dramatic few days for the club, which kicked into gear when Addo-Carr went into camp with the Bulldogs late last week as they prepared for their game against North Queensland on Saturday night.
As they have done all season, the Bulldogs spend the night before the game at the Pullman Hotel in Homebush Bay, a stone’s throw from Accor Stadium. Addo-Carr wasn’t playing – he had an ankle injury – but he wanted to be around his teammates and was more than welcome.
Rather than hang out in his hotel room, Addo-Carr opted to join the coaching staff and other injured players as they attended the Sydney Roosters game against South Sydney at Accor Stadium on Friday night.
At halftime, Addo-Carr opted to leave and go for a drive.
Head of football Phil Gould on Tuesday morning said that Addo-Carr told club officials he had gone looking for an Ezymart to buy a phone charger.
He started up his blue Toyota hatchback – he was driving a family member’s car – and went for a short drive that may change his life.
Rather than finding a phone charger, Addo-Carr found trouble after he was pulled over by police and subjected to a roadside drug test which police say showed indications of cocaine.
Addo-Carr told Gould that he didn’t think it was a clear reading.
Addo-Carr was then taken to the back of a police car and instructed to provide an oral sample, which would be sent away for further analysis. Addo-Carr vigorously denies having taken any drugs.
The NSW and Australian winger did as he was asked, the sample was sealed in a bag and he got out of the police car. According to Addo-Carr’s version of events, he asked police what to do next and was told he was free to leave.
Rubbish from his initial test was on the roof of his car and Addo-Carr wasn’t sure what to do.
“Boss, what do I do with this?” Addo-Carr is alleged to have said.
He was told by the police to put it in the bin and he could go.
Police, according to Addo-Carr, told him he had nothing to worry about as long as the second sample came back negative.
Addo-Carr drove back to the team hotel and went to bed confident he had little to fear – while there was no curfew in place, Bulldogs officials are believed to be disappointed that he was driving the nearby streets while his teammates were tucked in bed.
He woke the next morning and informed welfare manager Luke Goodwin and football manager Steve Litvensky of what had happened, who immediately passed on the information to Gould.
Based on Addo-Carr’s initial version of events, Gould felt there was little cause for concern. In particular, the fact that Addo-Carr was allowed to drive home, something police clarified on Tuesday afternoon.
They released a statement saying that after the initial drug swipe, an urgent call for assistance was received in relation to an unrelated reported home invasion at nearby Lidcombe.
As a result, a secondary drug swipe was not conducted but an oral sample was taken.
Police confirmed that 24-hour driving prohibitions are only given after a second positive test from a drug swipe.
Addo-Carr was never required to have the second swipe. Instead, with police answering the call for urgent assistance, Addo-Carr was sent on his way and the Bulldogs went back to preparing for the Cowboys game – ultimately thrashed on Saturday night with Addo-Carr watching in the stands.
The sands began to dramatically shift on Monday morning when members of the media, including this masthead, were contacted with information that a big story was about to break at the Bulldogs involving Addo-Carr.
Calls were made to Bulldogs officials, who insisted there was no drama. The rumour, however, was spreading like wildfire, prompting Gould to get on the front foot.
On Monday afternoon, he posted on social media confirming Addo-Carr had been tested but that he had returned two negative tests.
RUMOUR MILL REGARDING
— Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) September 9, 2024
JOSH ADDO-CARR
in response to circulating rumours and now several media enquiries regarding Josh Addo-Carr -
On Friday evening Josh was pulled over and subjected to a random roadside drug test. The test results were negative and Josh was allowed to…
He was acting on the information that Addo-Carr had given him.
Police contacts were suggesting otherwise, although it took some time before this masthead was able to break the news that Addo-Carr had in fact returned a positive indication for cocaine and was subject to a second oral sample that was undergoing analysis.
It was an embarrassing revelation for Gould and the club. Having attempted to douse the flames, they had only exacerbated them, Gould’s tweet giving the impression that the club was either downplaying the incident or had been misled.
The answer wasn’t that simple.
Gould called Addo-Carr and his agent Mario Tartak into a meeting on Monday afternoon to sort the wheat from the chaff.
In a bid to prove his innocence, Addo-Carr had offered to undergo a test of his own volition. He contacted the club doctor and was told he would need to have a urine test.
That test came back on Tuesday as negative.
The more pressing issue for the Bulldogs and Gould was to get to the bottom of what had happened on Friday night and work out why their wires had got so badly crossed.
Gould had been in regular contact with coach Cameron Ciraldo and chair Adam Druissi.
He then met Addo-Carr and Tartak again on Tuesday morning only hours before the team was due to be announced to face the Sea Eagles on Sunday.
Under NRL rules, Addo-Carr is free to play.
He had not been charged. Gould pointed out to Addo-Carr what the week would look like if he made himself available.
The Bulldogs had waited eight years for a return to the finals and Addo-Carr’s presence had the potential to become a sideshow, detracting from a significant moment for the club.
Addo-Carr opted to stand himself down. Gould insisted it was Addo-Carr’s decision.
“We talked about the scenarios of the week, right,” Gould said.
“There is the world the way we want it and the world the way it is. It is as simple as that. This is the way the world will work if you are playing and training this week.
“You, your family, the club, the players, everyone. This is what the week will look like.
“So Josh has done the noble thing and stood down this week but at all times conforming that he is completely innocent of any drug taking on this occasion.
“And I hope that proves to be right.”
Regardless, the incident had left the Bulldogs and Gould, one of the most powerful figures in the game, with a black eye.
Gould fronted the media on Tuesday morning and appeared happy to give Addo-Carr the benefit of the doubt, although there were moments when his disappointment simmered to the surface.
He insisted that Addo-Carr had steadfastly refuted any suggestion he had taken drugs.
He also conceded if the oral sample came back positive – it could take anywhere from six weeks to three months according to sources close to Addo-Carr – that the club would have a big decision to make.
Rumours have swirled around Addo-Carr’s future at the Bulldogs for some time.
There has been talk that the Bulldogs would be happy for him to leave, although Gould suggested on Tuesday that he remained an important and valued member of the club.
“He’s a very popular player for our club,” Gould said.
“I hope he’s proven innocent. I hope everything he has told me is 100 per cent right.”
The Bulldogs players were kept on a short leash when it was their turn to speak to the media about the omission of their highly-paid winger.
“We feel for Josh, but he’s made the selfless decision to rule himself out, so we’ll get behind him,’’ Canterbury’s Matt Burton said.
“It’s a big decision to put the team first.’’
An even bigger decision for Canterbury will be Addo-Carr’s future, if the secondary sample returns positive.
“Josh has, at all times, defended his innocence,’’ Gould said.
“And he said, ‘I didn’t take this, I didn’t do it’. Which is why, in his own mind, he was convinced that when they let him go from the scene, that was the last we would hear.’’
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