Knights star to take a longer than expected break from rugby league.
Newcastle fullback Darius Boyd will not play again in the NRL this season after completing a rehabilitation program for depression.
A club statement said Boyd, who was admitted to a Sydney mental-health facility late last month, will not return to the field for the final four games of the 14th-placed Knights’ season as he continues to focus on his recovery.
The statement said Boyd, whose contract contained an opt-out clause should coach Wayne Bennett leave, is yet to make a decision on his playing future.
The 27-year-old Queensland and Australia representative has been linked with a return to Brisbane since Bennett announced he would resume coaching the Broncos in 2015.
Boyd followed Bennett from Brisbane to the Dragons in 2009 and subsequently to the Knights in 2012.
“Boyd wishes to thank the club, his teammates and the fans for their support at this time,” the statement said.
Boyd has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons leading up to his treatment for depression with snubbing of a journalist and partial destruction of a motel room casting a further light on his mental state.
COMMENTS