The Canterbury Bulldogs have terminated Josh Addo-Carr's contract following the fallout from a positive drugs test, bringing an end to his three-year tenure at the club.
Addo-Carr, who joined the Bulldogs from Melbourne Storm in 2021 in what many would elude to as the first green shoot for the struggling club, expressed gratitude to fans and shared his disappointment at his early departure.
Addo-Carr's exit from the Bulldogs follows a series of events that began with a roadside drug test, where he tested positive for cocaine.
The 28-year-old initially told Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould that the test had returned an inconclusive result, but it was later confirmed that he had tested positive.
Addo-Carr was subsequently required to complete a secondary test, which reaffirmed the presence of cocaine in his system.
“I'd like to begin by thanking the fans for making me feel so welcome at the club. I came to the Bulldogs at their lowest point to make a change. I hope I did that for you all. Unfortunately, circumstances won't allow me to be at the Bulldogs any longer, and I wish the club and especially their fans nothing but success.” Addo-Carr lamented.
Addo-Carr's termination was an unfortunate, premature end to what he had hoped would be a transformative tenure at the Bulldogs.
The club's decision to terminate Addo-Carr's contract was finalised after a board meeting where he presented his account of the incident, claiming he was unaware of any illicit substances in his system.
Following the decision, the Bulldogs released a statement showing their commitment to fostering a club culture rooted in accountability and values.
“Josh has been a significant part of our club over the past three seasons,” the statement read.
“We understand Josh's popularity with our passionate supporter base, and we share their disappointment that his time with the club has ended this way.”
The statement continued:
“This season has demonstrated the importance of building a culture based on clear standards and values. While the NRL Integrity Unit has completed its investigation and imposed a four-match suspension, the club views the combination of the failed drug test and subsequent lack of transparency as serious breaches of Josh's contractual obligations and our club's standards.”
The termination signals a shift at the Bulldogs as they focus on creating a culture of integrity and transparency under Gould's leadership.
Gould himself expressed a degree of skepticism about Addo-Carr's version of events, pointing out inconsistencies in the winger's account.
“At the end of the day what we have is a positive drug test, that there were drugs in his system [on that particular] Friday night,” Gould stated on Channel Nine, back in September.
“I believe he's still protesting his innocence in that. But at some stage he's going to have to explain to himself and explain to people that matter exactly how that's happened and why it's happened.”
Facing a four-game suspension imposed by the NRL Integrity Unit, Addo-Carr has been linked with a potential move to St George Illawarra, although he won't be eligible to return to the field until Round 4 of the 2025 season.