Josh Addo-Carr: Bulldogs boss Phil Gould says star winger has stood himself down after failed drug test

Bulldogs marquee player Josh Addo-Carr has stood himself down after a failed roadside drug test.

On the eve of their elimination final blockbuster against Manly on Sunday, the club’s head of football Phil Gould held a press conference at Belmore on Tuesday and confirmed Addo-Carr would not play this weekend.

Addo-Carr has told Canterbury officials he did not consume illicit drugs last week, but stood himself down after it was explained to him by Gould that his presence in the team would likely create a media circus.

“We accept Josh’s belief of his innocence and we will support him through the process,” Gould said.

“Josh has also engaged lawyers in his own personal defence, but that is a matter for him to report on later.

“But as far as the short term is concerned, he won’t be considered for selection this week in the best interests of the club.”

Gould earlier denied that Addo-Carr’s tests had been positive after speaking to his player, however, NSW police were quick to release a statement saying that a second test was underway after one of the roadside tests was allegedly positive.

Police have not said if any charges will be laid against Addo-Carr.

The 29-year-old was pulled over for a roadside drug test after leaving the Bulldogs’ captain’s run at Accor Stadium on Friday night but the incident has been engulfed in confusion around the testing process and whether or not there is a final positive sample.

He allegedly returned a positive test and was then tested a second time, with the sample sent away for further analysis.

Canterbury anticipate that it could take up to 10 weeks for the secondary sample to be returned.

“Under the CBA rules, we have no reason to stand him down, nor has the league until that last sample comes back positive,” Gould said.

“So with that in keeping, there would be no reason for us to stand him down and go through the normal process.

“Josh has at all times defended his innocence, and said he didn’t take this and didn’t do it.

“Did he lie to us? I’m convinced in Josh’s mind that he didn’t think we’d ever hear about this.

“So he probably didn’t tell me the whole truth of the first positive or what it read. He put that down to being inconclusive.

“So he hasn’t handled that part well.

“But do I think he deliberately lied to mislead me? No. That’s not Josh.”

The secondary sample will be sent for testing and may take a number of weeks for the results to return.

Gould suggested that if it came back positive, Addo-Carr’s future at the club would fall under the spotlight.

“That’s something we will deal with there,” Gould added.

“There are sanctions to that and precedence for that. If it came back positive, Josh would have to explain how it got in his system.

“Because he is adamant, and I mean vehemently adamant, that he has not taken the drugs.”

NSW Police released a statement regarding the incident on Monday: “About 10.45pm on Friday, officers attached to Auburn Police Area Command were patrolling Baywater Drive, Wentworth Point, when they stopped a Toyota hatchback for random testing.

“The driver – a 29-year-old man – was subject to roadside testing which allegedly returned a positive indication for cocaine. The sample has been sent for analysis.”

Addo-Carr told Canterbury officials on Saturday morning the test was inconclusive, but he was in the clear as he was able to drive after the test.

It was only when the club received phone calls about the matter on Monday they discovered that the Australia Test star had allegedly returned a positive sample.

Jeral Skelton appears the likeliest man to come in on the wing for the Bulldogs this weekend, provided he can recover from a minor leg injury as expected.

With AAP.