Parramatta boss Jim Sarantinos has strongly defended the Eels’ decision to sign Josh Addo-Carr, insisting the new recruit has been spoken to “at length” about his off-field incident and the club’s expectations of him.
Parramatta chief executive Jim Sarantinos has strongly defended his club’s decision to sign Josh Addo-Carr in the wake of his drug-driving scandal, declaring: “He has been given an opportunity to redeem himself and it’s up to him to do that.”
The Eels on Monday unveiled the former NSW Origin winger on a two-year deal, posting an array of photo and video content of Addo-Carr smiling and laughing on their social media accounts and club homepage.
However, the Eels still faces some uncomfortable questions around the first major signing of new coach Jason Ryles’ tenure, given the events that led to his departure from Canterbury.
The Bulldogs tore up Addo-Carr’s $500,000 contract after he failed a roadside drug test in Wentworth Point in September.
A subsequent test returned a second positive result, after which Addo-Carr decided to accept a $682 fine and a three-month driving suspension despite claiming he had ‘not knowingly taken the drugs’.
The Bulldogs hit Addo-Carr with a breach notice and he unsuccessfully pleaded his case to the board before having his contract terminated.
Despite that, the Eels were keen to secure the 29-year-old’s services.
To his credit, Sarantinos did not duck questions about his concerns over Addo-Carr’s off-field incident, how their new signing’s behaviour fit into the club’s beliefs and what Parramatta’s expectations were going forward.
The Eels boss said he had spoken with Addo-Carr “at length” about the drug drama.
The second year of Addo-Carr’s deal is a club option in Parramatta’s favour, which gives them the chance to sever ties after next season if they are unhappy with the arrangement.
Sanatinos is adamant Ryles was “very clear about the culture he is building” and that Addo-Carr would need to “adhere to (club) expectations” to see out his deal.
“Jason had an existing relationship with Josh when they worked together at the Storm, and that played a factor in his decision to sign him,” Sarantinos said on Tuesday.
“We’ve spoken with Josh at length about the incident, those conversations will remain private.
“He has been given an opportunity to redeem himself and it’s up to him to do that.
“Every coach has their own vision, and Jason is very clear about the culture he is building around the playing group and the club.
“The expectations are that Josh and every player in our roster will adhere to those expectations and make our club and members proud.
“We have been looking for a fast outside back and the opportunity to speak to Josh was presented to us.”
Addo-Carr still has three matches of a four-game, NRL imposed suspension, to serve. He was also fined $15,000.
Addo-Carr was a late withdrawal from the Canterbury side that lost 44-6 to North Queensland in the final round of the NRL season, having been pulled over by police the night before.
He never pulled on a Bulldogs jersey again, and the club lost the following week’s elimination final to Manly, their first finals appearance in eight years.
For Canterbury, Addo-Carr didn’t meet their behavioural expectations.
Replies
It's been handled perfectly by the club. A 1 year deal with a 1 year option in our favour is the best case scenario. It gives Josh a chance to redeem himself and the club every opportunity to decide either way on what happens in 2026
Exactly Chief. The ball is in JAC's court. This is a very club friendly deal, which leads to motivation for JAC. Funny how we all wanted the club to abolish options, yet the best contract since Ryles arrived involves an option, but for the right reasons.
Absolutely nothing to defend , excellent signing .
Bulldog the dope trying to create a story line.. club has handled contract negotiations perfectly!well done.
Sarantinos has been really stepping up and stepping out lately - putting out information regularly and not shying away from the hard stuff. Credit where it's due, it's been a really good change for the better.
This Fox contract has been really well handled.
It seems the board and CEO have really started to get out of their comfort zone since BA was sacked.
Think eels board doing things better without BA around. I can see JAC being strong next year and a senior leader
JAC playing for a new contract is the best scenario possible. He is a player who needs to stay focused and without a locked in option for 2026 he is playing for his career.
I wonder who chose the option, was it Ryles ensuring he has control of the culture or was it the club? If it was the club, maybe some of the stories about issues in recruitment and tension between club and BA were true. A lot of the option contracts were for BA favourites.
He's a great player and an excellent signing on Parra's terms.
Hopefully he can keep clean because he brings class, skill and enthousiasm. I've always loved his energy with his team mates.
Looks fit, ready to explode!!!!
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