Curtis Scott’s legal team has slammed the NRL after his contract was blocked.
The former Canberra Raiders star was offered an NRL lifeline by the Parramatta Eels ahead of the 2022 season, but Scott was arrested last week and charged for domestic violence offences.
Scott, who was getting ready to play golf with his new partner when he was arrested, was taken to Sutherland Police Station just days before pre-season at his new club the Parramatta Eels was set to continue following the Christmas break.
The charges against the 24-year-old include two counts of intentionally trying to choke a person with recklessness, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm (domestic), and three counts of common assault (DV) against a former ‘childhood sweetheart’, according to 9 News.
Scott had also been told not to turn up for the first day of pre-season training with the Eels, the club confirmed to 9 News.
On the field, Scott has had mixed results, but he was part of the Melbourne Grand Final-winning side back in 2017 as well as being part of the Storm side that lost in the year after to the Sydney Roosters.
Scott’s lawyer Sam Macedone claimed on Tuesday his client had been offered a career lifeline with the Eels, but that it had been blocked by the NRL, however a trial date may not be available until September.
That would mean that the 24-year-old would be unable to play or train the entire 2022 NRL season.
“We will vigorously defending the charges on Wednesday,” Macedone told the Daily Telegraph.
“I am going to try and get [a hearing date] a lot earlier. Otherwise, he won’t be playing football this year until this gets sorted out, and he’s done nothing wrong.”
His manager, Sam Ayoub, has also hit out at the NRL, claiming the alleged victim approached the governing body in 2018 with stalking allegations against Scott, but said the governing body did not take action against Scott at the time.
The NRL said it did not act as the alleged victim did not want to make a formal complaint at the time.
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