ASADA has applauded the NRL for handing Sandor Earl a four-year suspension for breaching the league’s anti-doping policy, with the authority suggesting the winger had not been entirely forthcoming in his attempt to gain a reduced penalty.
The NRL announced on Wednesday the former Canberra, Penrith and Sydney Roosters player was guilty of six violations, including use and possession of growth hormone CJC-1295.
After a five-hour hearing in front of the NRL’s anti-doping tribunal last month, the league also found Earl was trafficking, or attempting to move, a number of other performance-enhancing drugs.
The 26-year-old’s ban is backdated to when he was stood down by the NRL on 29 August, 2013 and he has 21 days to appeal the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Otherwise, Earl won’t be free to play until 29 August, 2017.
ASADA chief Ben McDevitt said any athlete was responsible for any substances used to aid their recovery from injury.
“So it is extremely important for athletes to take every precaution necessary to ensure they do not breach the anti-doping rules,” he said on Wednesday in a statement.
McDevitt also suggested Earl hadn’t been completely forthcoming in his bid for a discounted penalty.
“If you are going to seek a reduction in an anti-doping sanction by providing ‘Substantial Assistance’, you must be willing to be entirely truthful, full and frank in relation to your own and other people’s violations.
“I would like to thank the NRL and ASADA for pursuing this matter since it came to light in 2013. It is a positive outcome for clean sport.”
NRL head of integrity Nick Weeks said the league was committed to eliminating performance-enhancing drugs.
“We want our game to provide a fair and safe environment for players and that means taking all reasonable steps to eradicate performance-enhancing drugs from rugby league,” he said.
Earl pleaded last month with the anti-doping tribunal – chaired by former High Court judge Ian Callinan – to be allowed to revive his career next season after he was stood down from playing while at the Raiders in 2013, following his admission that he used performance-enhancing drugs to treat a shoulder injury.
The charges against Earl relate to when he was at the Panthers in 2011.
The speedster is the only NRL player to appear before an anti-doping hearing over allegations arising from the 18-month ASADA investigation.
He’s played 48 games in the NRL with the bulk of those coming with Canberra after making his debut at the Roosters where he had three games in the top grade before linking with Penrith.
Renegade
Roar Guru
Yeah pretty sure Perry is just being sarcastic.... surely he is. The handling by AFL and Essendon was ridiculous.
CRITTA
Guest
Are you aware of the "trafficking" allegations. Earl never supplied to drugs to anyone. he was hit with a technical charge of taking peps from one source to Dank at Danks request.,NOT to other players. We need to get real here, "Australia's darkest hour" and the best they can do is Sandor Earl?. If the NRL were fair dink-um why haven't they dealt a heavy hand with cocaine users, the abusers of pain killers ( hillbilly heroin as it is known.) the assaults , the domestic violence abusers but No don't worry about all that suff just concentrate on the NRL's greatest achievement in wiping out Sandor Earl. And by the way if the Sharks players pleaded guilty why hasn't anyone been charged with supplying/trafficking banned substances to them?????
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Comparison with Earl and the Sharks is chalk and cheese. It is mandatory for 4 years penalty involving "trafficking" .I don't agree with teh length of the penalty BTW.Earl has suffered enough.He did goo outside the club to secure the "goodies" bit b;leading obvious if you ask me. None of the Sharks were involved in trafficking.They were guilty of either being naive or too lazy to check what they were receiving. They received two years of public scorn,lost yes a few weeks time off.The incident tearer lasted over 11 weeks when the club had a dysfunctional administration. The club lost sponsors,were unable to secure new ones.They have to pay $600,000 in fines.They already lost near $2m in sponsors and potential income up to mid 2015. And I am horrified as to what transpired at Cronulla,but you can only hang a person once. ASADA have stated the NRL admin under Smith handled the situation considered,professionally and let them pursue their investigation without hindrance.
Cass
Guest
Perry are you serious "the AFL tribunal is deemed by most to have got it right" - what rubbish. The AFL Tribunal is an absolute joke and thought in their own self importance that WADA would let them walk away with such a ridiculous decision to find the players not guilty. The Sharkies did get off lightly but only because the NRL knew they couldn't hide this or fight it and they instead faced up to it. Every Sharks player now has a black mark against their name for being guilty but the AFL believed it is answerable to no one. They forgot that WADA is a world organisation that couldn't care less about the AFL's high profile in Australia. WADA went hard because the AFL thought they could find the players not guilty and get away with just so that the sport wouldn't get a black eye. I'll tell you who benefits from WADA appealing - every single Olympic Athlete that is put through the ringer on a daily basis because the "athlete" is responsible for what goes into their bodies no matter what piece of paper they sign. Every Essendon and Sharks Player knew this. I feel sorry for the players but the bottom line is they shouldn't have let others control what went into their bodies without asking questions.
david webb
Guest
Champ you shouldn't even put Anzac and essendon football club in the same sentence they don't deserve to play on Anzac day
Perry Bridge
Guest
Now you're being facetious - I'm not saying Essendon deserves special recognition - however - I do ponder as to who benefits from WADA appealing and pushing on. I'd suggest any penalties for players might get watered down and everyone else has lost their job as a result. Just seemed WADA were determined to go hard after ASADA had gone so soft on the NRL re the Sharkies. So then it's just getting political. It should only ever be case by case. And for this article - the sentence near the bottom : "The speedster is the only NRL player to appear before an anti-doping hearing over allegations arising from the 18-month ASADA investigation." We still ponder the ASADA/NRL/Sharks 'deal' that was done. Given that in 2013 Dave Smith was so 'outraged' at any possibility of an AFL-ASADA deal. (noting that even the joint investigation passed the James Hird challenge).
tim
Guest
We need a national holiday for the poor Essendon club and community. They have suffered so much. Future generations need to recognize their sacrifices and hardships. In fact, their ANZAC day game against Collingwood should be renamed the ASADA Memorial.
Squidward
Roar Rookie
Sandor sourced his PEDs himself. Bombers and sharks were defined as unwillingly Punishment fair.
Perry Bridge
Guest
The Bombers and Sharks both copped non-ASADA punishment related to governance (or the lack of 'good governance'). Essendon were banned from contesting a finals series which invalidated an entire season. People lost their positions if not football related careers. The ASADA/WADA side of things is of course different. The NRL/Sharks opted for a contrived/negotiated outcome of convenience and avoided testing the case. It never went to the first stage NRL tribunal. The AFL/Essendon sage saw Essendon tested before an AFL tribunal - and far from getting off lightly - the reality is on the evidence available the AFL tribunal is deemed by most to have got it right. WADA have appealed and if they have new evidence then they might get somewhere - if not then it simply drags on an already massively emotionally draining period that has acted as punishment enough one might suggest - especially as most agree that the players aren't specifically at fault. The Sandor Earl - far, far worse than any of the players at Essendon could be accused of. To compare seems to me to be massively wide of the mark.
up in the north
Roar Rookie
Am I allowed to say that this is pi $$ weak.
Big T
Guest
What a joke.... millions of dollars wasted on banning a fringe grade first graded for 4 years. ASADA are a joke and a bunch of bullies.
Chump
Guest
Bombers and sharks got off sooooo lightly.
Edward Kelly
Roar Guru
After all the hype to start with and lots of bluster not much has come from the whole ASADA investigation.