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South Sydney Rabbitohs forward Jai Arrow has immediately retired from the NRL after he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
The 30-year-old has played 178 NRL games since his 2016 debut and represented Queensland 12 times in State of Origin.
The Rabbitohs said Arrow had gone through months of testingand treatment for motor neurone disease (MND) and had only recently received his diagnosis.
Arrow thanked fans for the support he had received over the past few months.
“After extensive medical testing and consultations regarding ongoing symptoms, I have recently received a diagnosis relating to a nerve and neurological condition,” he said.
“Further tests, specialist reviews and medical processes are still ongoing, and my doctors are continuing to assess my condition.
Jai Arrow has immediately retired from the NRL after being diagnosed with MND. Photo / Getty Images
“Over recent months, my symptoms have affected different parts of my everyday life.
“On medical advice, I am not currently medically cleared to train or play at the required level, and I will be stepping away from those duties while I focus fully on my health, treatment, and rehabilitation.
“I want to sincerely thank everyone at the South Sydney Rabbitohs for the personal support they have shown me and my family throughout this process.
“The South Sydney Rabbitohs, my teammates, staff, and everyone behind the scenes have made an incredibly hard situation much easier to face.”
Arrow said he needed support, understanding and privacy while he and his family navigated this period of his life and will share more when the time is right.
Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly said handling this situation is more important than sport.
“His contribution to the game, our club and the community will never be forgotten,” Solly said.
“Jai reached the highest level our sport had to offer. Aside from these brave and unrelenting efforts on the field over the past decade, Jai has been one of the great contributors to Souths Cares and its community programmes, as well as other charitable organisations such as Whatability and the St Vincent de Paul Society.”
Wayne Bennett, South Sydney’s head coach, paid tribute to Arrow for all he had achieved in rugby league.
“Jai is an honest, genuine, hard-working young man who always puts his family and his team first,” Bennett said.
“He has always been the same.
“This is a difficult time for Jai and his family, however we want to pay tribute to him for everything he has given his teammates, his coaches and his communities in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the people of Queensland, and here in South Sydney.
“Most importantly, we pay tribute to him for the family man he has become. He is a special guy and we’re all very lucky to have him at our club and in our lives.”
