Two months ago, Sharks captain Paul Gallen called for an automatic two-year ban on any NRL player found guilty of taking a banned substance.
Little did he know his president Damian Keogh will face an alleged cocaine possession charge on June 30, nor that Rooster Shaun Kenny-Dowall, the Storm’s Jesse Bromwich, and Titan Kevin Procter would also become embroiled in scandals related to the drug.
The Damian Keogh charge is a major bombshell.
The 55-year-old three-time basketball Olympian, a Hall of Famer, and CEO of Hoyts is one of the all-time solid citizens who is rightfully revered across Australian sport – not just basketball.
He has stood down as Sharks president, and told a media conference two days after being charged that he doesn’t have a drug problem, and will prove his point in court.
What wasn’t discussed at the conference was how he was in possession of the alleged cocaine.
We will have to wait until June 30 for that vital answer.
The same can’t be said for Kenny-Dowall, who was also charged with possession, and Bromwich, and Proctor, who allegedly snorted cocaine outside a nightclub after the Anzac Test on Friday night.
The Roosters have stood down Kenny-Dowall indefinitely, and no doubt the Knights will put their offer for next season on hold until his case is heard in court.
Bromwich and Proctor were allegedly filmed on CCTV snorting cocaine after the Anzac Test in Canberra.
Both have been banned from the New Zealand Rugby League World Cup squad later in the year.
(NRL Photos)
The Storm has also suspended Kiwi captain Bromwich, one of the world’s best props, for two games under their code of conduct, and dropped him from the leadership group, while Proctor has resigned as Titans’ co-captain, and awaits the club’s decision on his playing status later in the week.
What an unholy bloody mess. It follows on from Wests Tigers tearing up Tim Simona’s contract after cocaine use and fraud charges, and the Sharks did the same when Ben Barba tested positive to cocaine during the grand final celebrations last season.
That track record must surely make rugby league boss Todd Greenberg crack down harder on those who have proved to disregard the seriousness of banned drug taking, especially cocaine.
Keogh apart, how can well-paid rugby league footballers put their careers at risk? Especially with the alternative being a 9-5 job paying 20 per cent at best.
It beggars belief.
But rugby league isn’t the only sport under the drugs hammer.
Three Olympic swimmers – Madeline Groves, Jarrod Poort, and Thomas Fraser-Holmes – face two-year bans for avoiding three mandatory drug tests in the last 12 months.
All three are among the future of Australian swimming, and if the bans are applied, will miss next year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
Again, why are they playing Russian roulette with their careers? It doesn’t make any sense.
It’s not as if the swimmers are pulling their weight in the Olympic team; their performances were totally underwhelming at both the London and Rio Games.
There’s a culture problem within the swimming ranks, and that, couple with the dramas in the NRL, just goes to prove overall the inmates have taken over the sporting asylum.
Marcus
Guest
Cant be bothered getting too far into this with you but the illicit drugs policy sits "on top" of the AFL being a WADA signatory. You are recalling the former AFL illicit drugs policy and getting that wrong as well. Current situation is that a first strike sees compulsory counselling, name kept confidential. Second strike sees a $5k fine, named and a 4 week suspension. Testing is held out of competition. Aim of the testing is player welfare rather than prevention of performance enhancement through drugs. Could go on a lot more, but suggest you do some Googling. The one off testing you are referring to was across the league as an information gathering exercise - to set a base if you will. Collingwood was linked to it through an article in the Herald Sun.
BrainsTrust
Guest
What your saying is inaccurate, team sports does not mean that you submit your whereabouts only on the days your are together training , it means a team official can do it for you. The controversy over that AFL player was about avoiding staying at their home address during the season. All illicit drugs are considered performance enhancing during competition. So that means an automatic 2 year ban for cocaine first offence during the season.. How exactly is AFL policy more strict when all I remember about its a three strike policy and first strike there is no ban of any sort and even your name is supressed.Pretty sure the third strike was much less than 2 years. There is no point having an AFL illicit drug policy, if the normal policy covers them during the season and AFL don't test for it off season. The one off test the AFL did with Collingwood players the results weren;t sanctionable..
Marcus
Guest
It is actually not that hard - all done online on the ADAMS system and you can update anytime on an app or even make a phone call if need be. These kids are updating their info on Instagram, facebook, etc. It is no harder than that. And these athletes would be entering in far more information regarding their training, rest, diet, etc. It is part and parcel of professional sport. For instance, the hour window can be your place of residence at say 8-9am. Say if you stuff this up once, you would get a lot better at it - at least during the next 12 months. Mad Groves is a smart girl. Go figure. You can go "somewhere spontaneous" quite easily as you can update your whereabouts for the 1 hour window right up to the commencement of that window. So if your window was home at 3pm on a Sunday, but you found yourself somewhere else, you get on your app at 2:55pm, change your whereabouts to your current location and stay there for the hour. Your comments on the AFL are incorrect. Both the AFL and NRL are subject to whereabouts requirements but because they are a team sport, the team submits its training schedule which by proxy gives testers a daily one hour window. AFL effectively has a "harder" testing code because it has its illicit drugs policy along with being a WADA signatory. I believe the out of season testing you are referring to was related to the illicit drugs policy.
BrainsTrust
Guest
Olympic athletes are under an extremely oppressive drug testing regime. To have to fill out a form to say where your going to be every single day of the year and not have a chance to go somewhere spontaneously is ridiculous. The system should be you can say where you are going to be once or twice a week not every single day of the year. NRL and AFL players are not under these sorts of obligations. AFL for whatever reasons did a trial out of competition test for recreational drugs because the test was cheaper and kept the results anynomous. If these NRL players were in an Olympic sport they would be copping an automatic 2 year ban from all sport. AFL you have an even more lenient drug use policy.
Oingo Boingo
Guest
What a big hoo hah about nothing .
northerner
Guest
I think the lack of interest in this story reflects a wider attitude in Australia – that “our” athletes don’t cheat, that they'll always have a rational explanation for missing that test/testing positive, that it will always be someone else's fault, and that the swimmers should all just get off with a stiff lecture. Nonsense. One missed drug test, carelessness; three missed drug tests, that’s something else again. Two year bans for the lot of them, and maybe the message will sink in with both athletes and the public that there are rules, and even Aussies have to follow them.
Kenw
Guest
The only real difference is where their money comes from. NRL players salaries come from advertisers and sponsors, many of whom are paying big bucks to have their brand associated with high performance sport. Movie stars and music stars (and Justin Bieber) are artists (....and Justin Bieber) selling their own product. If they lose it big time they can still ruin their careers but they're not relying on nervous board rooms allocating their advertising dollars.
Christov
Guest
Did Gallen really say that? If so it is suprising as he would probably still be serving his ban
doogs
Guest
yes and such a shining beacon of light is Paul. I saw him on the weekend get tackled and he was clearly pulling the tackler's hair while he was on the ground. I am more fascinated in people seeing that than a few NRL players powdering their noses.
northerner
Guest
I think the lack of interest in this story reflects a wider attitude in Australia - that "our" athletes don't cheat, there'll be a rational explanation, and they'll all get of with a stiff lecture. I hope not. One missed drug test, carelessness; three missed drug tests, that's something else again. Two year bans for the lot of them, and maybe the message will sink in with both athletes and the public that there are rules, and even Aussies have to follow them.
Marcus
Guest
Putting the NRL to one side, I cannot believe that the swimmers whereabouts misses isn't getting more press. This is a serious issue. Missing three tests points to one of two possibilities, abject stupidity manifesting itself in monumental carelessness, or a deliberate effort to avoid being tested. Groves was training in San Diego - away from the team... And David, puhleeze do the tiniest amount of research. Maddie Groves missed out on a gold medal in the 200 fly by 0.03 of a second. She pulled her weight. That is why this is a big story.
spruce moose
Guest
Surely Academy bar in the loo's is the place to get it quickly. I recall a particular burger restaurant in civic that was essentially a front for a massive drug operation.
spruce moose
Guest
Way to miss the point Aem.
northerner
Guest
Now that really is the "inmates taking over the asylum."
northerner
Guest
If it were cocaine, ASADA wouldn't care. It's only banned during competition. The whole point of random, off season drug testing is to make sure that athletes are not taking performance-enhancing drugs that enable them to train harder and build up better, then have a clean profile during the season. Missing one drug test is careless, but missing three is something else.
Amon Goeth
Guest
There are a lot of politicians and white collar jobs in Canberra. Lots of bored people with money to burn. Coke isn't as hard to find as one may think.
Adam
Roar Guru
As an aside, how impressive is it that Bromich and Proctor were able to find blow that quickly in Canberra. Have any of you been out on a Friday night in Canberra. The Bulldogs banner in the AFL the other week didn't exaggerate.
Adam
Roar Guru
He picked up the idea from somewhere...
Conan of Cooma
Roar Rookie
So we don't want our kids sports heroes taking drugs as it gives the wrong impression, but no one bats an eye at their musical and acting heroes? Girls have been falling over each other for years over Justin Bieber but he gets high and no one bats an eye? Some random movie star admits to a $1000 a day cocaine addiction and it's blamed on the "pressure of the lifestyle" and everyone feels sorry?
matth
Guest
I assume Paul Gallen saw no irony in his statement?