Josh Addo-Carr is facing at least three months on the sidelines should any club throw him a lifeline following his recent roadside drug test failure.
Addo-Carr’s camp is still awaiting formal notification of his B-test sample after he tested positive for cocaine in September.
The NRL and the Eels will wait on that result before any sanction is handed down.
While Parramatta are yet to make a formal decision on Addo-Carr’s future, it is highly likely that the Eels will reluctantly sack the flying winger from his $400,000 contract if the second test result comes back positive.
The NRL are also set to put a 12-game ban on him should any club look to sign him meaning he will be sidelined for almost half of next season.
Even if he is retained by the Eels, they will be missing him for a large chunk of the season. The 12-game ban is in line with the NRL’s illicit drug testing policy, which deems players are automatically sidelined for that period after a second failed test.
The NRL website states: “Players who record a second contravention will serve a 12-match ban, the prospect of contract termination, a fine, and further treatment and monitoring.”
Two years ago, Addo-Carr was sacked by the Bulldogs after failing a roadside drug test
The NRL may not formally announce the sanction should the Eels rip up his contract given he will no longer be a registered player.
However this column has learnt that should a club want him and the NRL allow him back into the game then the 31-year-old will have a long stint on the sidelines.
The former NSW flyer has been in a rehabilitation facility since his positive test result.
Addo-Carr was driving in Sydney’s inner-west along Enmore Road in Newtown when he was stopped for a test just days after he played in Parramatta’s final game of the season.
This time last year, Addo-Carr had returned to the Kangaroos line-up and was part of Australia’s extended World Cup squad before the positive test.
He was sacked by Canterbury in 2024 after he again failed a roadside drug test.
Addo-Carr looked to have resurrected his career with the Eels with Parramatta officials talking glowingly of his impact at the club on and off the field since his arrival in 2025.
Replies
This is only true if we can get an adequate replacement for JAC's cap space. Maybe we've got someone lined up but preseason is two weeks away. How many clubs will have someone worth that much that they are willing to release this close to preseason? They would need to replace them.
Listen to what Cappy and Pou said! ......what's more you would adjust his salary for the games suspended.....JAC's dont come along like a "mango season" you just cant go to the shop and buy them!
lol this isn't a hypothetical contract where you can just make adjustments. Unless he agrees to us scrapping his contract and doing a new one , which also has to get NRL approval, he's on full pay .
We all know you have a soft spot for your choccy milk, but you're being ridiculous. I wonder if this were Sean Russell being caught second time around if you'd be so supportive.
Ditto for others wanting to be the Parramatta Salvation Army , if we announced we were using JACs money to pursue Best , would you still wish to stand by JAC at the expense of Best ? I get the calls to keep him as we don't have better , that's fair, but to keep him as some kind of duty of care is bullshit. He's a grown man , a very rich and privileged grown man , who has zero , zero respect for the club.
The best thing cap wise would be to sack him and get him back on a reduced contract, not sure if the NRL would buy that though. Alternative might be to extend him for '28 but on a reduced deal, say 700k for 2 years. Again the NRL would have to agree.
The only way I would keep him is if he forfeits his salary while out - then he can come back; but that is not going to happen I feel.
Such a shame but hey he is on big bickies and knows the responsibility here.
I also have to mention - didn't he also go off the grid during COVID time?? Think he violed the rules more than once.
Such a shame; great player and good for the club but drugs is shit look too.
You want a shit look or quality players Mitchy, there is a balance in there, the sporting public couldn't give a shit.....Mam's case was far worse but Bronco's name rate's higher than Parra, we are still the club that fcuked up with "paper bags" and criminal elements in our admin from those days.
The crime is just not serious enough to worry about.
I did not say that Pops; maybe read again. I also never mentioned Mam, and would have rubbed him out for a year.
I'm not sure by nrl rules we can just get him to scrap his pay mate. It'd be a cap breach I'd suspect . It'd need to be approved . We either pay him in full or leave it in the NRLs hands. And we don't have a great track record with asking the NRL for exemptions 😂😂
I could be totally wrong , but I'd suspect it's not as simple as doing a side deal with JAC .
I am just trying to think outside the box mate; and I guess we hear about players ' playing for less' haha. I know it won't happen but that would be the only way I would keep him; paying him $10k plus a week to sit out is not going to sufffice. Unless PVL does a deal with Albo to slug him more tax for so called climate change / wind farms.
Ezra Mann was on drugs and nearly killed 2 people with his car. He only got a few weeks. Weird.
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