Why the ‘bubbler’ is no laughing matter for Todd Carney: Traumatised NRL star was too afraid to use public toilets after viral photo scandal ended his promising rugby league career
He made headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2014 when he was sacked mid-season by the Cronulla Sharks following his infamous ‘bubbler’ incident.
And this week, former NRL star Todd Carney admitted he was frightened of using public toilets for years in the aftermath of his career-ending scandal.
Todd, whose life spiralled six years ago when a photo went viral of him urinating his own mouth at a Sydney pub, revealed on ABC show Reputation Rehab that he would be heckled by groups of men shouting ‘Carney, give us a bubbler!’ whenever he used the toilets.
Haunted: Earlier this week, former NRL star Todd Carney admitted he’s still terrified of using a public toilet following the public scandal, in which a photo of him appearing to urinate in his own mouth at a Sydney pub went viral. Pictured with pregnant fiancée Susie Bradley
‘The hardest part for me was… if we’re at a pub and I want to go to the toilet, I have to [hype] myself up, or I have to make sure there aren’t heaps of people in the toilet,’ the 34-year-old said.
‘If I walk towards the toilet and there’s a group of guys on the way, I’ll turn around.
‘If they notice me, they start [yelling] “Carney, give us a bubbler!” and I just start laughing. But you turn around, and there’s two or three blokes doing it…’
He added that the bubbler incident was merely a ‘prank’, and said it was a ‘sad way to go out’ from the rugby league team he loved playing for.
‘I’m not Bear Grylls,’ he laughed. ‘He makes money off it [drinking urine], I lose money off it!’
Sacked: Todd made headlines in 2014 when he was sacked mid-season by the Cronulla Sharks following his infamous ‘bubbler’ incident. He sensationally had his $3million contract torn up after this image went viral of him appearing to urinate in his own mouth at a Sydney pub
But despite having his promising career shattered by a drunken mistake, Todd has managed to turn it all around – and he’s now happier than ever and expecting his first child with his fiancée, ex-Married At First Sight bride Susie Bradley.
On Wednesday, fellow footy player Mitchell Pearce let slip in an interview with the 257 Collective podcast that his friend was about to become a father.
After heaping praise on his former Newcastle Knights teammate, Mitchell said: ‘[Todd’s] going well now, he’s killing it, having a baby and everything, he’s on fire.’
Todd, who now works as a concreter, had dropped a major hint his partner was pregnant on Tuesday when he uploaded a photo to Instagram of himself, Susie and her five-year-old daughter, Baby, alongside a very telling caption.
Happily ever after: With his sporting career behind him, Todd seems to be living his best life. He is about to become a father for the first time with his fiancée, Susie
‘That Christmas feeling. I love you three,’ he captioned the post, referring to three people instead of just two.
Susie, who got engaged to Todd in October after they started dating in January last year, shares Baby with her ex-partner.
She rose to fame on the fifth season of Married At First Sight, which was filmed in 2018. She was paired with barista Billy Vincent in Nine’s social experiment.
‘I love you three’: Todd hinted Susie was pregnant on Tuesday when he uploaded this photo to Instagram of himself, Susie and her five-year-old daughter, Baby, alongside a telling caption