Former Raiders captain Josh Hodgson has admitted the team is reeling after teammate Curtis Scott was sacked yesterday.
Speaking to reporters during scheduled media today, Hodgson said he was “really disappointed” with the club’s decision to axe a well-liked teammate but refused to criticise the board, despite having recently spoken out against the club over its handling of George Williams’ departure.
“I’d love to give you a headline but I’m not on the board so for me I’m just worried about ‘Scotty’, making sure he’s all right,” Hodgson said.
“I’m not going to step outside of my lane, I’m not part of the board, I’m not part of the decisions made at the top. I’m a rugby league player, that’s their job to do so I’m not here to question them.”
Hodgson cautioned against making judgements about Scott’s character based on some mistakes he has made as a young player.
He said the Raiders players had rallied around him due to the genuine care they feel for a teammate who is paying a huge price for off-field incidents that don’t truly reflect his character.
“Curtis is such a good kid,” Hodgson said.
“As can be the case in sport or in the world general when you don’t know somebody and you only see what you hear, you can kind of get a different picture.
“He’s a young man. I think sometimes we can forget he’s made some mistakes in his life as we all have but I’m the type of bloke that doesn’t spend so much time on people who don’t deserve it.
“I’m not going to put a lot of time and effort into someone if they’re not a good person and he’s certainly a really good person.”
The Raiders are facing potential legal action from Scott after terminating his contract despite the fact he is yet to have an assault charge heard in court, where he will plead not guilty.
The 23-year-old last night took to Instagram, posting an attack on the club, which he claims has hung him out to dry. Hodgson confirmed he had spoken to Scott on the phone and was concerned for his welfare.
“I’m sure he probably feels that way if that’s what he wrote because you’ve got to understand Scotty’s been on his own for a long time back in Canberra and Sydney and we’ve been up here (in Queensland) so he really feels isolated,” Hodgson said.
“I guess that’s why so many of us have been reaching out to him.
“I can’t comment for Curtis, all I can say is I’m sorry it’s a boring story and I can’t give you a headline but I’m just trying to make sure I look after my mate, as I’m sure we all are.
“There’s a lot of us here that care about Scotty and as I touched on earlier, if he wasn’t a good kid and a good person, we wouldn’t be doing as much as we can for him.”
Hodgson reflected on an interview Scott gave The Daily Telegraph just days before his axing, which revealed he had sought help via Alcoholics Anonymous after a number of alcohol-related incidents had derailed his career.
He said it was important to consider Scott’s personal struggles and for those close to him to reach out and show care for him in a difficult time in his life.
“First and foremost it’s just making sure he’s OK, especially as I touched on, reading that story the day before he got sacked,” Hodgson said.
“I think people need to tread very carefully before writing pieces on him until they actually know everything and know what he’s like as a bloke.
“If someone’s already put out there that they’re in that kind of head space, it’s a very delicate subject.”
Scott’s rugby league career is now hanging in the balance but Hodgson said he had reminded the young centre to keep things in perspective given the code’s long history of offering a path to redemption.
“All the boys have just been trying to check in on him to see how he is. Hopefully he can get his career back on track and get a club for next year,” Hodgson said..
“(He’s) pretty down as you can imagine and just really unsure of what his future is going to look like.
“So I was just trying to check on him to make sure he’s all right and he’s not stressing too much about those things, just enjoying being around his family and just try not to fret too much about it.
“I don’t really know what to say to him, to be honest, it’s a hard situation especially when you’re kind of doing it over the phone.
“It’s hard when you’re not sat alongside someone, you can’t put an arm around them and have a bit of time with him.
“We’re on the other side of the country so it’s hard to get around him but we’re all doing our best here.”
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