Cronulla Sharks player give his first interview since the losing his job.
Sacked Cronulla five-eighth Todd Carney has spoken out first the first time since a lewd photo claimed his job at the Sharks and almost certainly his NRL career.
Carney said the whole saga was an prank gone wrong and he never meant to cause any offence but the photo that has gone viral since it appeared late on Saturday night.
“It’s something I did not know was out there or would ever surface like this. To receive the message on Saturday night was just, just gut-wrenching,” he said.
Carney said the photo which was taken by a mate Mick Robinson, had not only hurt Cronulla but his career, his pride and his mum and sisters.
“Letting her down, is my greatest regret,” he said. “I haven’t spoken to her because she can’t speak to me and I can’t speak to her, it’s just been text messages so yeah … they’re difficult ones.”
Carney said he just wanted a chance to explain the photo, but said he felt betrayed by the club after being sacked less then 24 hours after the photo became public.
“A few of the boys have been comin’ over to keep me company. Um, I keep things to myself, I don’t say too much and I don’t let things get on top of me too much. I dwell I things, definitely when I’m on my own and I think the boys know that so, they’ve stuck by and come and seen me again today.” he said.
But he was not so appreciative of the treatment he has been shown by his club, the Cronulla Sharks or CEO Steve Noyce.
“I just said I wanted an opportunity to talk to the players firstly and then talk to the board and the staff, and he said that he’d let me know about that after he sat down, but the boys, I got, the boys got a text message ten minutes later saying that was a release about to happen, so, I felt betrayed and lied to there,” he said.
The man who took the photo, Mitch Robinson who is described as a mate by Carney, took the photo and forwarded it into his brother who lost his phone at the races, before it ended up on Twitter.
Couple of young blokes out having beers at a popular nightspot. I’ve gone into the toilet, seen Todd there, asked me ‘have you ever heard of the fountain?’ Robinson said of the photo.
“He’s gone to do it, obviously didn’t know I had my phone there, and I’ve snapped a photo of it.
“The urine never actually went into his mouth.”
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