Pearce was due to marry fiancee Kristin Scott in Byron Bay on Tuesday but a guest list of around 150 were reportedly informed as late as Christmas Eve that the nuptials would not be proceeding as planned.

Pearce told the Sunday Telegraph that Sydney's coronavirus outbreak was the problem and it is understood certain invited guests, including Manly five-eighth Kieran Foran, live in "hot spot" areas.

But it appears the main issue were text messages Pearce is alleged to have sent to a female Knights staff member, which the future Mrs Pearce reportedly read.

Knights officials declined to comment about a "private matter" they say "stays between the two individuals".

But nobody in the club has come forward to deny what the Sunday Telegraph has reported.

The Herald tried to contact Pearce on Sunday but received no reply.

The timing could hardly be worse for both Pearce and the Knights.

The State of Origin playmaker came with a flashing neon "buyer beware" sign when he left the Sydney Roosters at the end of 2017, after a couple of after-hours incidents that created hysterical headlines and were harshly punished.

Newcastle officials, in no position to be fussy after a host of knock-backs from other off-contract halves, signed him anyway.

They gambled that an older, wiser Pearce would provide the leadership the Knights desperately needed, on and off the field, and signed him to the richest contract in the club's history.

Now that deal has one season to run and Pearce, who turns 32 in April, finds himself at the crossroads.

Pearce has stated a number of times recently that he wants to stay with the Knights, telling the Sydney Morning Herald earlier this month: "I've got a lot of good footy ahead of me."

Yet playing "good footy" is not enough on its own to justify Pearce's lucrative salary.

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Knights CEO Phil Gardner has spoken often about his desire to see Pearce evolve into a Cameron Smith-style stateman during the twilight of his career. For $1 million a season, or the best part thereof, clubs want not only a champion player but a squeaky-clean role model.

To be fair, Pearce had scarcely put a foot wrong during his first three years in Newcastle and, to a man, has the respect of his teammates.

It is understood the powers-that-be are reluctant to take disciplinary action against the halfback, even though the alleged indiscretion involved another club employee. But at the very least he is likely to be asked for a "please explain".

It shapes as an awkward conversation.

Meanwhile, incredulous fans are entitled to wonder whether the Knights are so precariously placed that a player's love life could potentially derail a season.