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AN NRL chief executive has confirmed three players tested positive to ecstasy in September of 2007 after the club's presentation night celebrations.
The club wanted to make a strong statement on illicit drugs, so the coach called in the entire squad of 25 players for testing. One of the players who went positive was a big name still playing in the NRL.
In accordance with the NRL's drugs policy, the club issued the three players fines equivalent to 5 per cent of their contract value, written employment warnings and made them attend drug rehabilitation for a month.
A second positive will result in a 12-week suspension, a fine of 10 per cent of contract value and could see their contracts ripped up.
"We did it after presentation night at the end of the season and we've done it ever since," the chief executive said. "It was our first shot over the bow of targeted testing in the off-season and we haven't had a positive since. The coach pulled everyone in on Monday after the presentation and we tested the whole squad, so it wasn't random testing.
"We'd heard the players were out until pretty late and we've always had zero tolerance towards that sort of thing, so that was why we called them in. All the players who returned positives have since moved on from the club."
The club in question was not the Newcastle Knights, who have been in the headlines for the past fortnight in the wake of the Danny Wicks drug allegations.
Wicks quit the Knights after he was charged on four counts of supplying amphetamines, two counts of supplying ecstasy and two counts of drug possession. Wicks will defend the charges.
The club wanted to make a strong statement on illicit drugs, so the coach called in the entire squad of 25 players for testing. One of the players who went positive was a big name still playing in the NRL.
In accordance with the NRL's drugs policy, the club issued the three players fines equivalent to 5 per cent of their contract value, written employment warnings and made them attend drug rehabilitation for a month.
A second positive will result in a 12-week suspension, a fine of 10 per cent of contract value and could see their contracts ripped up.
"We did it after presentation night at the end of the season and we've done it ever since," the chief executive said. "It was our first shot over the bow of targeted testing in the off-season and we haven't had a positive since. The coach pulled everyone in on Monday after the presentation and we tested the whole squad, so it wasn't random testing.
"We'd heard the players were out until pretty late and we've always had zero tolerance towards that sort of thing, so that was why we called them in. All the players who returned positives have since moved on from the club."
The club in question was not the Newcastle Knights, who have been in the headlines for the past fortnight in the wake of the Danny Wicks drug allegations.
Wicks quit the Knights after he was charged on four counts of supplying amphetamines, two counts of supplying ecstasy and two counts of drug possession. Wicks will defend the charges.
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