Todd Carney has likely played his last game in an NRL uniform and may be forced to turn to France in order to continue his career.
Carney was sacked by the Cronulla Sharks late last week when a photo emerged on social media appearing to show the 28-year-old urinating in his own mouth at a nightclub. Now down $3 million in salary and out of work for the third time in his career, Carney’s next hope for a pay check may rest overseas.
The NRL may seek to deregister the five-eighth at the earliest opportunity next season, something that appears likely if comments by league CEO Jim Doyle are anything to go by.
“Firstly, a club would need to determine that they want him to be part of their team,” Mr Doyle said.
“I would be surprised if any club made that decision considering his past. Then he would need to convince the NRL he is a fit and proper person to play our game, and we would naturally take into account his past.
“Given he has been terminated from three clubs, it is most unlikely that he would be cleared to rejoin a club in the NRL.”
A move to France’s 15-man code could represent Carney’s lone lucrative offer, but would be a substantial pay cut in the vacinity of $200,000 per season, down from the $650,000 a year he was making with the Sharks.
Criminal convictions has seen previous attempts by Carney to play in the UK blocked while Japanese rugby shies away from players with excessive tattoos.
Previous alcohol related incidents resulted in Carney being sacked from the Canberra Raiders and Sydney Roosters, including a one-year NRL imposed suspension in 2009 for urinating on a man in a night out in Canberra.
“I just hope that this isn’t the end of me as a footballer,’’ Carney told Channel Nine earlier in the week.
“It’s definitely not going to be the end of me as a person. I’m stronger than that.
“I’ve been through this situation before but this is probably the toughest (one). It’s just disappointing. It’s something that I didn’t know was out there and didn’t know it would ever surface like this.
