Curtis Scott free to play for Canberra Raiders after avoiding NRL suspension

Scott is free to play in the NRL season opener for the Canberra Raiders despite having police charges hanging over his head.

The NRL told the Raiders on Wednesday they had decided not to ban Scott after reviewing footage of his arrest in January, with the charges deemed insufficient to implement the code's no-fault stand down policy.

The 22-year-old is facing seven charges, including two counts of allegedly assaulting a police officer, after he was arrested near the SCG.

The NRL has continually delayed a decision on Scott's availability, but said he could still face a "significant penalty" if found guilty when he faces court.

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For now Scott is free to take his place in Ricky Stuart's Raiders squad to take on the Gold Coast Titans at Canberra Stadium on March 13.

But whether the club's new recruit will suit up in round two remains to be seen, with Canberra's trip to New Zealand coming a day after Scott's scheduled court appearance.

Scott is due to front court on March 20, with the Raiders meeting the Warriors at Eden Park in Auckland at 3pm the next day.

Scott's lawyer Sam Macedone will look into whether his client will be excused from appearing in court in the coming days, which would allow him to fly to Auckland with the Raiders.

"I'm not sure about that because I picked up the file after his last court appearance. I don't know whether he was excused or not, but I'll check that in the next few days," Macedone said.

"I'm stoked, he is stoked. We're all very happy. It's what we were aiming for and that's stage one.

"I'm into stage two now, and I've got to deal with the police matters which I will get onto.

"The NRL aren't saying whether they think he is innocent or guilty of the police charges, but as far as they're concerned he hasn't crossed the bar to bring the game into disrepute.

"They're prepared to let him play until his court case has been heard."

Macedone picked up Scott's case last month after the one-time premiership player split with his then-lawyer Danny Eid.

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The news is a boost for the Green Machine, with Scott to give them a right-side strike weapon following the departure of Joey Leilua and Jordan Rapana leading into the new season.

Scott is regarded as one of the brightest young talents in the competition having scored 18 tries in 48 appearances for Melbourne before shifting to Canberra in late November.

His off-field dramas followed less than two months later when he was arrested after a drunken night out resulted in an altercation with police officers.

"It's a relief and great for the team that he'll be available for round one, but there is still a long way to go in terms of the court process," Raiders chief Don Furner said.

"We'll continue to cooperate with the NRL and support Curtis through it all because it's an ongoing process."

The NRL statement said the decision to avoid applying the no-fault stand down policy "should in no way be interpreted as a view on Scott's innocence or guilt".

"Two players, one facing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and the other facing a maximum sentence of 25 years imprisonment, are currently subject to an automatic no-fault stand down," the NRL statement said.

"Two players, one facing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and the other facing a maximum sentence of 25 years imprisonment, are currently subject to an automatic no-fault stand down.

"Scott's charges carry a maximum five years imprisonment and do not qualify for an automatic no-fault stand down.

"Having considered the charges against Scott, the NRL has determined that he should not be prevented from playing whilst he responds to them.

"The NRL regards the charges as extremely serious and the Raiders have been advised Scott will face a significant penalty if found guilty of the charges."

The NRL introduced the no-fault stand down rule last year in the wake of a horror off-season plagued by off-field incidents.