Josh Addo-Carr won’t attend Accor Stadium for Sunday’s elimination final between his Bulldogs and the Manly Sea Eagles.
It comes amid a report that the Bulldogs winger requested the results of his second drug test were expedited in an attempt to prove his innocence quicker.
Addo-Carr stood himself down from the first week of the finals when news of his initial roadside test positive broke.
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According to the SMH, Addo-Carr believed wholeheartedly that he wasn’t guilty of taking cocaine and was confident his secondary test would show a negative result.
That wasn’t the case, with the fast-tracked results from the roadside test allegedly revealing that Addo-Carr tested positive for cocaine.
Addo-Carr has accepted a three-month driving suspension and a $682 fine instead of facing court. It’s expected he’ll still face punishment from the NRL and his club.
In a statement provided to the SMH, Addo-Carr maintains his innocence and believes his “name will be cleared in time”.
“First of all I want to say sorry to my team and our fans for all headlines and discussion around me and the club,” he said.
“I know I’ve done nothing wrong and my name will be cleared in time.
“It’s frustrating that the club has to deal with this situation and I feel awful for that. I want it to be known that I didn’t take drugs and I look forward to my name being cleared.
“I want to thank everyone at the club, especially Gus [general manager Phil Gould], [chairman] Adam [Driussi] and [coach] Cameron [Ciraldo].
“Until my name is cleared, I will do whatever is best for the team. My entire focus is on today [the elimination final against Manly] and my heart is with the boys.
“I hope I get the chance to show what the club means to me next week.”
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Addo-Carr’s agent Mario Tartek confirmed that his client won’t be present at Accor Stadium on Sunday.
“Josh is fully supportive of his teammates, but has chosen not to attend the game to ensure there are no distractions for the team and the club,” Tartek said.
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