Cane mutiny: Just WHAT is going on with Y&R's Daniel Goddard?

Okay, see if you can follow all this.

In late 2010/early 2011, rumors starting circulating that Y&R megastud Daniel Goddard had been fired from the show. The powers-that-be had no official comment, but given the soap's unceremonious history of killing off its long-time hunks (think Don Diamont and Scott Reeves), it seemed believable.

Fast forward a few weeks and indeed, Goddard's Cane Ashby apparently met his maker when his character was murdered on the Feb. 3rd episode. He has not been seen onscreen since.

This development sent off a firestorm among Goddard's fiercely loyal fanbase, who began avalanching Y&R with demands for his return. Online petitions now sport signatures in the tens of thousands, and the actor's personal Facebook and Twitter pages are overflowing with support for the Aussie-born hunk.

What's odd is that the show STILL has had no official comment on the status of the actor. Has the 10-time Soaphunks.net Award nominee really been let go, or is this all an elaborate cat-and-mouse game being used to hide a story twist in which Cane is very much alive? (I'm personally betting on the latter.)

Nonetheless, this level of outrage over a firing among fans is notably rare in daytime, and Y&R would be wise to take note. If Goddard really was let go, he should be brought back. And if he wasn't fired, he needs to be front-burner more often. (Preferably without a shirt, but that's just me.)

And as if Goddard didn't have enough stress with all of this, the actor was injured during a stop on Soap Cruise 2011, in which his leg got on the wrong end of a fight with a moped. See the evidence below...and ouch. Here's wishing you a speedy recovery, Daniel!