Under fire Canberra Raiders no.7 Todd Carney, currently banned for the remainder of NRL 2008 after his latest public episode, has now requested more information before agreeing to a rehabilitation plan, put to him by the Raiders club and senior playing group.
In a move that could test his relationship with the Raiders even further, Carney is believed to be about to end his silence on the issue by writing an open letter to give his version of events.
Carney has gone to ground since the new of him urinating on a patron at a Canberra nightclub went front page news just 2 weeks ago. However, Carney is frustrated he hasn’t been given the chance to tell his side of things.
Player manage for Carney, David Riolo, didn’t want to go into details of the Carney response to the Raiders’ 5-point plan for the troubled player, but said he wanted more information about certain points.
Under the rehabilitation agreement, Carney would need to:
* Banned from NRL in 2008;
* Refrain from having any alcohol;
* Undertake counselling;
* Engage in community service;
* Pay a fine, of around $20,000.
“I have replied to their five-point plan,” Riolo said.
“We haven’t rejected it. We have replied and asked for a clarification about how that proposal was reached and where it goes.”
In a recent statement Raiders boss, Don Furner said: “Todd’s manager David Riolo has sent through a response in regards to the club’s proposal, and out of good faith the board has agreed to look at this response before a final decision is made on Todd’s future.
“We will aim to make a decision on Monday.”
It’s been an amazing escape for Todd Carney so far; in a similar manner to what happened 12 months prior where Carney got in trouble with Raiders team mate Steve Irwin; once again his Canberra team mate (this time it was Bronx Goodwin) gets sacked immediately and somehow Todd Carney is able to survive with a rehab plan. It shows how desperate the Raiders are to hang on to their leading player in tough times.
Raiders team mate Bronx Goodwin was sacked by the club following the incident on the same night which resulted in him being charged with two counts of assault.
It later emerged Carney had been in trouble at the nightclub previously, after he was accused of grabbing a woman’s breast.
Should Carney fail to accept the Raiders’ sanctions, he may well be booted from the club – a move which might then be followed by deregistration by the NRL.
If these events play out then Carney would be forced to move to England to continue his rugby league career. Alternatively, he could look to follow the lead of Mark Gasnier and Sonny Bill Williams by switching codes to play rugby union.