Todd Carney in staggering confession over obscene act at the Sharks
The former Dally M winner admitted he was stunned at the time.
Former Dally M winner Todd Carney has made the revelation he couldn't believe he was fired over his infamous act when at the Sharks back in 2014. Carney shot to fame in the NRL as a young talent having won the Dally M award in 2010.
He was the Dally M five-eighth of the year after a stellar season for the Sharks in 2013. However, a number of off-field incidents saw Carney's career fall apart on the field.
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One such incident involved the infamous footage of the Carney urinating in his own mouth in 2014. Speaking on the James Graham podcast, Carney admits he was stunned to see the footage released.
Regardless, the five-eighth said he didn't think the fallout would unfold how it did with Carney only realising how serious the situation was when his manager at the time, David Riolo, messaged him. “I was the first to say, what an idiot. And I thought to myself when I spoke to the club I didn’t obviously think I’d get sacked for it," Carney told the podcast.
Carney then told the story of how former teammate Wade Graham was at his house when former Sharks chief executive Steve Noyce came over during the fallout. Carney claimed he was told not to come to training the next day, which left teammate Graham surprised.
In a twist, Carney said he found out he had been cut from the club when Graham received a message from the media manager at the time. “That next day, I don’t think Wade ended up going to training, and Wado was sitting on my couch and his face went white and then he goes, ‘Did you just get sacked?’ Carney said.
“Wade got a text from the media man at the time saying, ‘No one comment to the media about the club’s decision today’. I rang Noycey straight away and (he) said I don’t know what you’re talking about.
“I said, ‘Well Wade’s sitting here and Wade said to me, ‘Like this is wrong. What’s going on?’ I went in the next morning and they’d already made their decision.”
Todd Carney's humbling admission following NRL career
Following the incident, Carney left Australia to play for the Catalan Dragons in the UK. Carney never played in the NRL again, despite continuing his rugby league career in the UK.
Carney admitted to Graham on the podcast he is seven months sober having entered a rehab facility. The former five-eighth felt like his drinking impacted his career and admits looking back on the period of his life and is 'pissed off' he didn't stop drinking at the time.
Carney now runs a concreting business and also works with Men of Business, a local organisation that helps offer mentors for at-risk teenagers.
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