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Two weeks ago I rang Roosters chief executive Steve Noyce and asked him if Todd Carney was back on the drink.
I'd been told the troubled five-eighth was among a group of Roosters players thrown out of a hotel on a Sunday afternoon in Woolloomooloo for loud and obnoxious behaviour.
"It can't be right, he's not drinking," Noyce told me.
Turns out the story was 100 per cent correct.
Todd Carney has gone back on his word to a court of law and to NRL boss David Gallop, who cleared him from suspension earlier this year on the understanding he was getting professional help.
Facing Waverley Court on a drink-driving charge, Carney's solicitor Stephen Alexander told the magistrate the troubled five-eighth was now attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and seeing a counsellor.
Carney told the same court: "The hardest thing for me was to admit I had a drinking problem and that it is something that has bought me before the court many a time. But I feel like I'm turning the corner on a daily basis." Turning the corner? Where to ... the next pub?
The Roosters have a lot to answer for in their handling of Carney's depression and drinking issues.
The fact senior players were out on the town with him at 2am, knowing of his issues, is a disgrace and says a lot about the leadership - or lack of - at the struggling club.
The Roosters hired renowned disciplinarian Brian Smith as head coach for last year following six months of scandal that included allegations of assaults on women, high-range drink driving, "Freddy" Fittler on a drinking bender and Nate Myles' infamous hotel defecation that battered their image and led to Samsung quitting as major sponsor.
Sure, they made the grand final last year but they've been the NRL's biggest flops this season, even more so than under-performing clubs like Parramatta and Canberra.
Earlier this year I criticised both the Roosters and the NRL for allowing Carney back onto the field, not just after his DUI, but after his bender with Anthony Watts.
The club put more importance on getting the two competition points each week than standing him down for the season to undergo proper treatment.
Then again, the Roosters are a law unto themselves. This is the same club that employs salary cap cheat Peter O'Sullivan as head of recruitment and then wonders why so many people question their payments to players. Maybe it's time for more than just a new coach and a cleanout of the players.
A fish rots from the head.
I'd been told the troubled five-eighth was among a group of Roosters players thrown out of a hotel on a Sunday afternoon in Woolloomooloo for loud and obnoxious behaviour.
"It can't be right, he's not drinking," Noyce told me.
Turns out the story was 100 per cent correct.
Todd Carney has gone back on his word to a court of law and to NRL boss David Gallop, who cleared him from suspension earlier this year on the understanding he was getting professional help.
Facing Waverley Court on a drink-driving charge, Carney's solicitor Stephen Alexander told the magistrate the troubled five-eighth was now attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and seeing a counsellor.
Carney told the same court: "The hardest thing for me was to admit I had a drinking problem and that it is something that has bought me before the court many a time. But I feel like I'm turning the corner on a daily basis." Turning the corner? Where to ... the next pub?
The Roosters have a lot to answer for in their handling of Carney's depression and drinking issues.
The fact senior players were out on the town with him at 2am, knowing of his issues, is a disgrace and says a lot about the leadership - or lack of - at the struggling club.
The Roosters hired renowned disciplinarian Brian Smith as head coach for last year following six months of scandal that included allegations of assaults on women, high-range drink driving, "Freddy" Fittler on a drinking bender and Nate Myles' infamous hotel defecation that battered their image and led to Samsung quitting as major sponsor.
Sure, they made the grand final last year but they've been the NRL's biggest flops this season, even more so than under-performing clubs like Parramatta and Canberra.
Earlier this year I criticised both the Roosters and the NRL for allowing Carney back onto the field, not just after his DUI, but after his bender with Anthony Watts.
The club put more importance on getting the two competition points each week than standing him down for the season to undergo proper treatment.
Then again, the Roosters are a law unto themselves. This is the same club that employs salary cap cheat Peter O'Sullivan as head of recruitment and then wonders why so many people question their payments to players. Maybe it's time for more than just a new coach and a cleanout of the players.
A fish rots from the head.
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