The events surrounding Josh Addo-Carr’s test revealed I NRL 360 I Fox League

Bulldogs general manager Phil G has clarified details around Josh out car's roadside drug test in what's become a massive distraction for the cerb club on the eve of their first Finals campaign in eight years obviously this is not the way we wanted to start this special week for the club our first time in the finals since 2016 and our club performing so well this year Josh as far as he's concerned he's done nothing wrong he can't understand why he tested positive once at the scene of this roadside test on Friday night however he had the initial roadside test which T showed an indication for cocaine so he said you're under arrest for the purpose of a secondary test now normally and this is where it got confusing for us normally that would be going back to a police station or to a mobile unit somewhere around where you go back and do a secondary test it's changed a little bit now they're able to do that test on the scene in the back of the police car and then I asked him what was the result of that test he said there was no result they don't give you a positive or negative at that time what they did was would seal it in a bag and said if you haven't taken drugs you've got nothing to worry about G he said the police officer said you've tested positive and he's telling you that he tested negative he thought yeah that's right that's that's the one part there that I said to him in his mind he felt it was inconclusive the policeman did say to him that you have a positive here for a positive indication of cocaine which is but don't convict on that one they have to go and get the other one so he went back to his car there was still rubbish on top of his roof from the initial test he said boss what do I do with this he said just throw it in the been best of luck on your way got in the car and drove Le still at the scene when he decided to get in the car and drive he says yes 100% I've gr him on that Josh came and reported to this to us straight away and as far as he was concerned at the time that would be the end of the matter did anyone know that he left that night no I think he said he went down the road to get a phone charger at one of the uy Mars or something like that so sounded pretty innocent to me I don't think he's deliberately misled me or lied to me probably didn't give me the whole version of what had happened there on the night till that sample comes out none of us are going to know he limped off the field in the last 10 minutes of the Thursday night session so he was playing up until Thursday night for the Saturday game did he lie to us well I'm convinced in Josh's mind that he didn't think we'd ever hear about this do I think he was deliberately lying to me to mislead me no that's Josh if it comes back positive Josh will have to explain to us how it got in his system because he's arant at the moment and I mean vehemently arant that he hasn't taken the drugs I hope he's Pro innocent I hope I hope everything he's telling me is 100% right phone charger to drug test 96 hours the could change adoc car's life feel good there uh facing the music and very forthcoming in that press conf conference today uh Gordy it's been a big 24 hours for the club the Bulldogs and also Josh what's your thoughts well I Reon as well handled there by Phil good I just wish that or I reckon he wishes that he knew on Friday night so he could have got ahead of it um but the truth will come out I think Josh had a car is innocent until proven guilty by the police um but I think it's a smart decision so there's no distraction in the club's biggest game in the recent you know five years I think it's a smart decision to stand him down so there's no distractions Dave you wrote this article so you've got some details for us on the events that have taken place yeah look at look there's no running away from it this is this is a nightmare for the dogs to be handling as gardy said uh in what is their first final series since 2016 the star Wing out hugely popular among the fan base uh to be dealing with this what I will say is that was a 17-minute press conference today uh from Phil G and what was clear to me guys is that Gus is running the Bulldogs the way he got on this front foot from the from the from the get-go in answering every question and and and as we saw there where Gus where Gus didn't really know if Josh was telling the truth he admitted it as much whether Josh is being forthcoming as what as what he as what he knows he he often said in Josh's mind that's right this is what his thoughts were he didn't say he lied or was deceiving he didn't believe that but he said in Josh's mind he said that two or three times at the press conference to G's Point Josh is V that he has not taken any form of drugs and now the process begins of which guys can take weeks and what I'm talking about is the secondary sample which will be conducted in a laboratory to determine whether he is actually positive can you talk us through the actual procedure because there's confusion around this uh you know a lot of people get pulled over and tested for drugs alcohol but this was a little bit unusual uh can you talk us through so just after 10:30 on Friday night Josh's pull he's pulled over and undergone a a both an alcohol test and a drug test he he is negative to alcohol turns a positive to a a drug now at that point an oral swab is taken and at that point also it is normal procedure to undergo a secondary um swab swab now due to unforeseen circumstances of which is the police at the at the at the uh location being called to a home invasion across town that secondary swab isn't taken now this is where it will get interesting on whether the oral swab stands up from Josh's point of view if it comes back positive now we have seen false positives in the past Josh Reynolds is a perfect example um so look time will only tell here and and for now the Bulldog sat down with Josh adow car and said look you've got two two decisions here you can play this Sunday or or you can stand down for the team I'll come to you Cs and and this is a bit off the cuff but why wouldn't have Josh told Gus that it was a positive test and why he telling him it was a negative because that's where it's a bit murky it's it's I get the feeling braith there's a lot of twists and turns to come in this story as it unfolds in the weeks to come Gus alluded to the fact today that aside from this drama there's some personal matters going on in in Josh's life that you know people aren't prepared to talk about at the moment but I I get the feeling that there's going to be further developments down the track why Josh said that who knows um he might have misunderstood what he'd been told by the police the fact that he was allowed to then go and drive away he he may have easily misunderstood that and I agree with what Gordon said also there is a presumption of innocence in this country and and he's entitled to that I think the Bulldogs have made the right call well Josh has made the right call by standing down this weekend and Gus's leadership has been simply outstanding you know he he he stood front and center he looked after the player as best he could he looked after the club's best interest he took the pressure off the coach he took the pressure off the team and allowed them to focus on what's at hand and and it's just been it's been outstanding a good example of leadership isn't it what the way the Gus has handled this now another question Dave why did Josh leave the hotel when the rest of the team were at the hotel yeah so bro it's my understanding he was he left uh so Bulldog's coaching staff and injured players attended last Friday night's rooster South match um at a core Stadium due to the fact that the team was staying at the Pullman Hotel adjacent to the stadium I understand Josh left the stadium at half time for what Gus has explained for a phone charger and that's the EXP time to get a phone charger that's the explanation bra okay so that's a bit odd I don't know I'm not saying he's he's not telling the truth you think a teammate would have a phone charger you think someone in the stadium would have a phone charger and it shouldn't be that important should it okay it's to live for 40 minutes without your phone I'd suggest all right so he's been stood down well he stood himself down for this week does he play next week well win of course well that's right if they do advance past Manley that was the question raised at the press conference what do you do with Josh adok car next week of which Gus actually didn't really want to go down until they have to cross that bridge under this current CBA under the current NRL regulations there is nothing stopping Josh adok car playing this Sunday and or next weekend should the Bulldogs advance so you know it was led it was led to believe that let's take the air out of the balloon as far as this preparation is concerned for this Sunday in this matter whether they have the whether Josh the club decide that he's fit to play the following weekend only time will tell but if we don't have the result by next we won't have it I would I would I won't say play I think I think think the I think the right decision's been made for his mental welfare this week it would have been very hard to deal with what's going on in his life and then go out and perform to his best for the team but but if he's in a better state next week and there's still nothing known because I I do believe he is a massive loss for the club like in that game the other day he set up two two tries you know his speed is a weapon and without him the Bulldogs aren't as good a team that's just a fact the reason the NRL step in do they step in at all only only at which point they have a matter in front of them of of where Josh has been charged on on an account in this OCC there's been no charges laid Gordy so there's nothing the NRL can step in and do at this point point in time the dogs to they leave it with the club the club have taken the initiative here y um and and and which is is not playing one example of was Latrell Mitchell charged well different circumstances though because the difference is that Latrell was photographed and the photograph appeared and he was never found to have taken any illegal substance but it was the damage to the game's reputation by that photo being released in in this situation it's an ongoing police investigation and as we spoke about previously there's a presumption of innocence things can happen you know these false positives can come back things can you know the I think I think it's important for the NRL to sit back and take time to judge this and judge it on what they know yeah Josh at this point in time is innocent he's innocent until proven guilty we've said that a number of times already but if he is found guilty if there is a test that is returned the second test returns positive we like sack him G given that not only is it positive but he also if it is positive has lied to the club well he says he hasn't lied it's been a misunderstanding I'm saying if it's positive if it is positive well the club's in a difficult situation because look he's one of their higher paid players he's he's a senior player at the club he's supposed to be a leader and if he if he lets him down on that front it would be hard to stand by him also I think you'd love to see the the day where the game took a tougher stance against players who who have tested positive I think you know it is a society problem drugs but it's also a problem that I think the game could confront better I think that you know young men on building sites if they have a test positive to a drug they're not allowed to work they lose their jobs you know rugby league players are in a very similar situation where they're out there in a dangerous Workforce too I said earlier that Josh adocar is hugely popular among among the Bulldogs fan base of which he is but with that comes huge influence and when you're an influential player of what Josh ad oar is on that footy Club on the game within the community with in front of young kids I think when you are weighing up whether to terminate someone's contract break that has to come into it about the role that you play Within this club you actually are held at a higher account in my eyes given the influence that you have at that footy Club not not only that takes up a huge Chunk in the salary cap I I just I added the I added the the L the lying because if he if it is a second positive it makes it worse the fact that he has said that it was negative and and well I think Gus distanced himself he said what he believes he it doesn't mean that Gus believes it he said what Josh believes yeah and he's told the club he he hasn't taken drugs the timeline's going to be fascinating guys cuz in in in covering the Braden Trindle situation earlier this year it was it was relayed that that was that ability to get his second sample back at the time was between 6 to 12 weeks and look the the lab might not be as as full at the moment so it's going to be interesting to see whether that's a similar to onine here