The Canterbury Bulldogs are set to make a crucial decision regarding winger Josh Addo-Carr’s future with the club after an off-field incident. Reports suggest the Bulldogs’ board has issued Addo-Carr a show cause notice, with potential contract termination on the table.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Addo-Carr, who is under contract until the end of the 2025 NRL season, recently tested positive in a roadside drug test, prompting the club to request a meeting next week. During this meeting, he’ll need to convince the board he deserves to remain on the team, as he faces allegations of misleading officials and bringing the club into disrepute.
The situation has seen several twists. Initially, the Bulldogs’ director of football, Phil Gould, defended Addo-Carr, but it later emerged that Addo-Carr may have provided misleading information, downplaying the test as inconclusive when it had been positive. Addo-Carr subsequently withdrew himself from the Bulldogs’ NRL finals return, where they were defeated by the Manly Sea Eagles in Week 1.
Addo-Carr has denied ever using illicit substances; however, a second sample also tested positive. With mounting frustrations within the Bulldogs’ leadership over his handling of the issue, the board will decide his fate ahead of pre-season.
The Bulldogs have allowed Addo-Carr to explore options with other clubs, though his reported $550,000 per year price tag has complicated a potential move. If he remains in the NRL, he’ll begin the 2025 season suspended for four games and with a $15,000 fine.