Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould has been praised for his handling of the unfolding situation involving Josh Addo-Carr after the star winger tested positive in a roadside drugs test.
Addo-Carr has stood himself down from the Bulldogs’ elimination final this weekend — a move the NRL 360 panel called a “smart decision” — as he and the club await more information.
The 29-year-old tested positive to cocaine on Friday night and is now awaiting the result of a second test, which has been sent off to a lab but could take up to 10 weeks to return.
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Adding another layer to the story is the fact Addo-Carr informed the Bulldogs of the test but didn’t mention the positive result.
It’s the last thing the Bulldogs just days out from their first finals appearance since 2016. But Gould — the club’s general manager of football — has gotten on the frontfoot to try and shut down speculation.
Gould stressed that Addo-Carr “believes he is completely innocent”, while also clarifying when the club was informed, what the club was told and what the next steps are in what was a 17-minute press conference.
NRL 360 host Braith Anasta credited Gould for being “very forthcoming” in the press conference but believes the miscommunication between Addo-Carr and the club over the test result is still a “bit murky.”
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Veteran journalist Paul Crawley believes “there’s a lot of twists and turns to come in this story” but revealed Addo-Carr is dealing with more things behind the scenes.
“Gus alluded to the fact today, aside from this drama, there’s some personal matters going on in Josh’s life that people aren’t prepared to talk about at the moment. But I get the feeling that there’s going to be further developments down the track,” he said.
“Why Josh said that? Who knows. He might’ve misunderstood what he had been told by the police — the fact that he was allowed to drive away — he may have easily misunderstood.”
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Crawley agreed with Gorden Tallis, who said Addo-Carr is “innocent until proven guilty”, but believes it was “the right call” to stand down for Sunday’s game.
He was also quick to praise Gould for the way he’s handled the situation.
“Gus’ leadership has been simply outstanding,” Crawley said.
“He stood front and centre, 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. It’s just been outstanding leadership.”
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Anasta agreed, saying: “It’s a good example of leadership.”
News Corp journalist Dave Riccio pointed to the fact “there’s no running away” from the situation and it’s “a nightmare for the Dogs to be handling.”
But he too was impressed with Gould’s leadership and honesty.
“What was clear to me is that Gus is running the Bulldogs,” Riccio said.
“The way got on this frontfoot from the get go in answering every question. As we saw (in the press conference), when Gus didn’t know if Josh was telling the truth he admitted it as much.”
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