The Canberra Raiders' season from hell is in danger of going into freefall after the club confirmed star fullback Jack Wighton was helping ACT Policing with an investigation into an alleged fight in Civic.
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The Raiders are sticking by Wighton and have named him to retain his spot in the team for the clash against the Canterbury Bulldogs at Canberra Stadium on Thursday night.
It is alleged Wighton was involved in a fight in Civic earlier this year, believed to have occurred weeks before the Raiders played their first game of the season on March 11.
Wighton didn't return calls on Tuesday, while his manager and the Raiders declined to comment when contacted by Fairfax Media.
The NRL integrity unit has kept a close eye on the developments of the investigation, which police are likely to finalise next week.
The police investigation has been ongoing for almost two months and rumours about Wighton had been swirling around the capital since the start of the season.
It is still unclear how many people were involved in an alleged fight or if the argument started somewhere else before moving to Civic. As many as six people are believed to have been involved.
The NRL will await the outcome of police inquiries before taking any action, but a spokesman said the onus was on the Raiders to impose a sanction if one was warranted. The NRL integrity unit would only become involved should any sanction be deemed inappropriate.
The Raiders are facing pressure to stand down Wighton until details become clearer, but no charges have been laid and ACT Policing said it could not comment "on individuals in relation to ongoing investigations".
Wighton, 25, has been one of Canberra's best in an otherwise dismal start to the year, which has seen the Green Machine lose all four games so far.
It is their worst start to a season since 1997 and and a loss against the Canterbury Bulldogs on Thursday night would see them drop to their worst start to a year since 1982.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart didn't hesitate naming Wighton in his team on Tuesday, backing the fullback as the Canberra administration sticks by Wighton.
Stuart, however, did drop representative star Josh Papalii based on form as the Raiders search for a way to end their horror start to the year.
The Raiders coach blasted the players for being soft last weekend, describing their performance as "crap" and saying the players should be "embarrassed to put a Raiders jumper on".
Pressure is building at Raiders HQ and off-field distractions will be unwelcome as they chase their first win of the season.
The Raiders have been aware of an alleged incident involving Wighton for some time but have been waiting for ACT Policing to investigate. They refused to comment about the incident when contacted in March.
They published a statement on the club's website on Tuesday acknowledging the investigation involving Wighton. It's believed Wighton has been interviewed by police.
"The Canberra Raiders are aware of an incident involving Jack Wighton and have been co-operating with ACT Policing on their investigation," the Raiders said in a statement.
"The Raiders have notified the NRL Integrity Unit and will be not making any further comment as the incident is an ongoing police investigation."
