Newcastle will be forced to find a new captain for 2021 after Mitchell Pearce stepped down from the role following a text messaging scandal involving an employee at the NRL club

The halfback's met with club staff and told the Knights' playing group of his decision ahead of his return to pre-season training today, where he'll also face the media for the first time since the alleged incident

A replacement as skipper hasn't yet been determined, with a leadership shake-up already under consideration before Pearce dominated headlines over a Christmas period which saw him postpone his wedding due to the issue.

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