Josh Hodgson has relinquished the co-captaincy of Canberra amid reports of growing disharmony within the NRL club.
Although the reason remains unclear, the England international made the decision to step down from the leadership role he shared with Jarrod Croker since 2019.
Canberra confirmed another Englishman, Elliott Whitehead, has been appointed co-captain alongside Croker.
The 31-year-old Hodgson is currently sidelined with a calf injury and has not played for the past fortnight, after missing most of last season with an ACL injury.
News of his abdication comes as reports claim that Brisbane have had discussions about luring Hodgson north to help revive their roster.
Hodgson, who spearheaded Canberra's push to the 2019 NRL grand final as one of the best players in the competition, is off-contract with the Raiders at the end of 2022.
In a statement on Wednesday Hodgson failed to explain why he gave up the captaincy but said he remains committed to the Raiders, who have won just three games this year.
"I can assure everyone that I remain fully committed to the club and I'm looking forward to getting myself back to 100 per cent fitness and helping the team get their season back on track," he said.
"I know internally we're all working extremely hard to turn things around and the playing group and staff have been fully committed to each other and the club."
It comes as the Raiders deal with increasing speculation of discontent within the club over the past week, with halfback George Williams homesick for England.
Canberra said they were working with Williams to make him and his pregnant partner as comfortable as possible in Australia.
Joe Tapine's wife Kirsten raised questions about the harmony within the team after the Raiders' loss to South Sydney last Thursday when she took to social media to criticise coach Ricky Stuart.
"You have an international player warming your bench for 50 minutes," she wrote.
"Your interchanges are killing us!!! Refs call count means jak [sic] when coaches are [rubbish bin emoji]."
Tapine has been in and out of the NRL side this season with Stuart saying he has the ability to be the best forward in the game but needs to find form.
The New Zealand representative has again been named on the Raiders bench for their sold-out clash with Newcastle in Wagga Wagga on Saturday.
Australian Associated Press
