Is Todd Carney bigger than the game?

If it was Neville Costigan doing all this, would he get the same leeway?

Manly's Brett Stewart got suspended for being drunk at a bar even though he didnt nothing wrong, got suspended for 4 weeks?

Tood Carney has pissed on people, drink driving, etc etc, offense after offense, breaking the law and the NRl act as if he is Hazem El Masri, a role model to society?

I'm sure he is very remorseful, and realises that he is on his last chance.

Teammate Anthony Watts, who’ll face court later this week on domestic violence charges, probably won’t be afforded the same chance, club insiders said.

But as speculation mounted about the players’ futures, Roosters CEO Steve Noyce refused to make any public statement beyond his confirmation that Carney was indeed drinking alcohol on Saturday night.

The NRL was playing a similar waiting game, refusing to make any comment on the matters until after the Roosters had completed their own investigations into Watts’ alleged bashing of his girlfriend, and Carney’s bender while out injured.

But it appears that while Carney might not play again this year, he will retain his contract with the club – as long as he agrees to a stringent set of conditions.

Carney was recently put on a good behaviour bond following his arrest for drink-driving and has a history of off-field misdemeanors, that led to his sacking by Canberra in 2008 and the Raiders banning from his home town of Goulburn.

Following the recent arrest Carney admitted he had an alcohol problem and was doing all he could to overcome it, including joining Alcoholics Anonymous.

Carney also told club officials and NRL boss David Gallop he would refrain from drinking after the incident but broke that pledge on Saturday night.

Noyce on Monday again said he was disappointed that Carney had found himself in trouble yet again.

"I'm only human, of course I'm disappointed, but I don't think that's really relevant,'' Noyce said.

"We're a big family here at the Roosters and occasionally in all families there will be hiccups.''

However, Noyce said it was important to distance Carney from the Watts incident.

"I think we also need to be very careful that Todd and Anthony were together, but there was no suggestion that Todd has anything to do with the legal proceedings that Anthony is facing."

Roosters won't get near the 8

What if Carney did a mass shooting in a public place like that Martin Bryant bloke in Tassie?

Steve Noyce, "Look, i know Todd Carney just murdered 20 people in front of the whole world, but, i dont want to speculate any further, we wont be terminating his contract, but we wll be helping him".

• cornflakes
•  ground paprika

shitting in hallways, punching women in the face..... But a line has to be drawn somewhere and it is drawn firmly in the sand when it comes to Labradors.

UPDATE 7:30PM: Roosters boss Steve Noyce made the suspension announcement today, confirming that the pair would be stood down indefinitely after breaking the NRL club's rules regarding the consumption of alcohol.

The Roosters gave no indication as to how long either player would be stood down for, with Watts' future to be determined when he fronts the Roosters board to answer a breach notice.

The club will be guided by medical professionals in determining the course of action in Carney's rehabilitation, with the Dally M medal winner having struggled to deal with his alcohol-related issues over the past few months.

"In regards to Todd, the club's next step will be subject to professional and medial advice that we are in the process of obtaining.''

Speaking at a press conference this evening NRL CEO David Gallop said Carney was a "unique case."

"He's very much a troubled person at the moment and that makes me sad to hear.

"He gave undertakings to the world.

"He's a guy that needs help and the first person that needs to start that help is him.

"But we'd all like to help him get his life back on track."

In a press release sent out this evening, Gallop said:

“This is sadly a matter of a troubled soul needing expert help. Calls for him to be put in jail even for a week show a complete lack of compassion for his plight.

“The reports we have received on his progress to date underline the fact that everyone has been making an effort but the level of professional help needs to be lifted and that has been demonstrated today.

“You also can’t solve them by just thinking ‘footy’ will fix it.

“Clearly some time out of football is appropriate and we support the Roosters on that.  It is also a case of being guided by medical experts as to how long that may need to be."

Noyce was adamant that the cases regarding the two players were being treated as separate issues after the pair went on a long drinking session lasting until 4am on Sunday morning.

Watts was later charged with assaulting his ex-girlfriend Shannon Kiss and will appear in court on Thursday, with the club to issue him with a breach notice on Wednesday.

"The club has worked closely with Anthony in the past to address a number of issues including anti-social behaviour and this decision stands regardless of what the court decides,'' Noyce said.

"The Sydney Roosters maintain strict policies in behaviour.''

Earlier, Carney received support from an unlikely ally in Sydney businessman John Ibrahim.

The Kings Cross nightclub boss – and fanatical Roosters supporter – Ibrahim (@johnibrahimsyd) has leant his support to the embattled footy star, who is facing suspension from the club.

Ibrahim, who is a regular at matches and team events for the Eastern Suburbs team, has had a Twitter account since 2010, but had only posted four messages prior to today.

In a message posted this afternoon, Ibrahim says: “Don’t give up on Carney, he needs help, he has the potential to be one of the great players of our time.”

In another two minutes later, he says “Carney needs the support and guidance that only the NRL and the Roosters can give to really get his life sorted.”

Carney is widely expected to be suspended from the club, having been caught out drinking despite telling Roosters management he was sober.

Among the Twitter accounts Ibrahim follows are the NRL, Sydney Roosters, his good friend Kyle Sandilands, and the sites for venues associated with him the Piano Room and Ladylux.

Ibrahim also follows The Daily Telegraph’s Sydney Confidential.

His lawyer and spokesman Stephen Alexander confirmed Ibrahim was the author of the messages.

The nightclub boss’s first ever Tweet was sent in May last year, wishing his girlfriend Chelsea Mitchell a happy birthday.

Earlier in the day, Noyce called a meaningless press conference at 9.30am and said he would submit a report to NRL chief executive David Gallop by the afternoon.

He said couldn't reveal any punishment for the players until he had spoken at length to club chairman Nick Politis who is in Greece.

That all changed just after 5.20pm, when Noyce again fronted the media to announce the pair's suspension.

Carney and Watts have admitted to drinking last Saturday evening against a club policy which bans the consumption of alcohol while injured.

Both players had also undertaken a commitment to the club to remain sober for the entire 2011 season.

Watts was charged with assaulting his girlfriend in the early hours of Sunday morning after the drinking session with Carney at three Sydney establishments, including one aligned to Ibrahim.

Earlier in the day, Noyce defended the decision not to make a hasty judgment on the future of the players.

"Is it better to do it quick or better to get the right decision,'' said Noyce.

"If that takes 48 hours that is what it takes.''

Noyce said he has finished his own report into Watts’ and Carney’s bender on Saturday night which ended with Carney again in the headlines for drinking and Watts arrested and charged with domestic assault.

Carney’s fate may rest in the hands of his senior teammates after Noyce said he had consulted players in the club’s leadership group, including Braith Anasta, Anthony Minichiello and Jason Ryles.

“I think what’s happened is they’ve broken that trust among footballers,” Noyce said of Carney and Watts.

“Todd’s obviously disappointed with what’s happened.”

Noyce stated firmly the club does not have a drinking culture problem.

“I said earlier yesterday we were concerned. When you’re on the front pages of papers, leading stories on news, not for scoring tries or winning games. I don’t think I’m doing my job, doing my duty of care to these young players if I’m not concerned by these issues.”

Noyce confirmed he met with Watts and Carney yesterday, and there was no sign of the pair at training this morning.

Noyce said he had spoken to staff at the three hotels the players visited in the course of the night and was happy to report the pair did not cause any public disturbance.

funniest thing I have read in ages

Hold the fucking phone

TODD Carney knows Steve Noyce's office on the first floor at the Roosters' Moore Park headquarters better than most.

He has climbed the stairs more than once since he joined the Sydney Roosters, normally to discuss anything from his footy form, his family or this time his latest fight to beat alcoholism.

Yesterday afternoon, as Noyce was finishing his lunchtime sandwich, Todd Carney walked in with his agent David Riolo and delivered four words that probably saved his football career.

"Yes, I was drinking," Carney said.

Refreshing honesty from the superstar five-eighth who would often camouflage his drinking on a night out by getting tall glasses of orange juice and adding vodka on the quiet.

The fact he was upfront with the Roosters may have won him a stay of execution.

Carney didn't turn up for training with the rest of the Roosters players yesterday.

Instead, he and Riolo fronted Noyce. On the way to the Roosters' offices, Riolo insisted Carney had to be honest and upfront.

"He's upset with himself and that's what he told Steve," Riolo said. "He knows he shouldn't have had a drink.

"He wants to keep playing and that's what he said. I don't think sacking him now would achieve anything."

Noyce told them he was not in a position to hand down any on-the-spot penalty or punishment. He had to finalise his investigation, bounce it off the NRL, and ensure club chairman Nick Politis, who is in Greece, was comfortable with the decision.

"Whether they stand him down, that's Steve Noyce's call," Riolo said. "But Todd's obviously got some issues to address.

"If there was any anti-social behaviour on Saturday night, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. The only person he's hurt this time is himself because he'd said he wasn't going to drink.

"One thing he didn't say to Steve is that he's sorry, because I think everyone's sick of hearing that.

"He's got some demons in his life. He's not handling it the way we'd all like him too and that's also what we spoke about.

"He's got to keep working through those issues and stay positive. He wants to get his head right and then worry about football."

The lies

The club announced that Carney had pulled out of Saturday night's game against the Broncos with the recurrence of a groin injury.

The truth is that coach Brian Smith granted him three days leave because Carney felt drained and hadn't been well. Carney said he was going to Goulburn to spend time with his mum. That didn't happen. On Saturday afternoon, Carney rang Smith and said he had changed his plans and would be going out for an early meal before heading home to watch the football.

Trouble is, Carney now lives on his own. He used to share a unit with Jake Friend, who now lives with his girlfriend. So when Watts rang and asked him to meet at the Coogee Palace, he went for it. And he stayed on it until 4am at The Trademark in Kings Cross.

General health

Carney has not been himself all season on or off the field.

After appearing in court the week before last, he was not keen to play against the Warriors in New Zealand.

Some even thought he was trying to get out of playing because of a passport problem.

"Speaking to him on the phone, you could tell he wasn't well," one of his friends said. "You could tell something was wrong but he insisted he was OK and didn't need any help."The night

Carney knows he can't be seen drinking in public because of his profile and all the recent publicity about him attending Alcoholics Anonymous.

So he tells punters who question him about drinking that he's on orange juice but doesn't mention the vodka he has with it.

Boxer Garth Wood saw Carney at The Trademark but played down any involvement in the footy star's bender.

"I was at the races all day with Singo [John Singleton] and we went to the Bellevue for a couple afterwards," Wood said. "On the way home I called into Trademark for a couple of quick drinks. I would have left about two to 2.30am.

"He was sitting in a corner with his mate and we just said 'g'day'. I don't hang with them."

He was drinking but there was no drama or anything."

The future

The Roosters are hoping to do a "Jake Friend" with Carney.

Late in 2009, the club tore up the young hooker's contract for repeated alcohol-related incidents.

Politis got involved in Friend's recovery, which became one of the best and most uplifting stories of the year. Friend got a nine-to-five job as a kitchen hand in a Surry Hills sandwich shop for six months.

He trained most mornings before work with former NRL hooker Joe Thomas and occasionally Laurie Daley.

He also had professional psychological treatment and was eased back into football via the Toyota Cup six months later.

The betting

As a result of the Carney/Watts turmoil and poor performances on the field, the Roosters' premiership betting quote has almost doubled in a fortnight. They have gone from $9 to win the premiership to yesterday's quote of $17.

Despite doubts over Carney playing this season, the TAB has not suspended markets.

"Their easing quote is more about current form than the other issues," spokesman Glenn Munsie said.

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