An 11th Welsh rugby player has been handed a banned for a doping offence, it has been confirmed.
Shaun Cleary, who played hooker for Maesteg Harlequins, has been suspended from all sport for two years by the National Anti-Doping Panel after testing positive for cocaine.
He was tested after a pre-season friendly on August 18 between the Harlequins and Bridgend Ravens and his ban will run from September 11 last year to September 10 2017.
Cleary admitted the violation immediately but wanted to avoid punishment on the grounds that he was not at fault, a report by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) reveals.
The player told how he enjoyed a night out in Maesteg after a game on August 15 during which he drank alcohol and took cocaine on ‘a few occasions’.
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Cleary said: “I took the cocaine purely for recreational purposes as I wanted to have a good night out.”
Giving evidence to UKAD Cleary said he knew cocaine could remain in the body for some time after ingestion, but that he gave no thought to the consequences.
He insisted there was no question of him taking the substance to improve performance, but Cleary was caught when what he thought would be a training session on August 18 turned out to be a match and he, along with several others, was chosen to provide a random urine sample.
In response to a positive test, Cleary wrote an email to UKAD saying: “This has been a salutory lesson for me.
“I am devastated that I may have brought embarrassment on myself, my family and my team mates.
“I have already missed close to two years out of the last four due to serious injuries including a snapped achilles tendon and a neck injury.”
UKAD director of legal, Graham Arthur said: “Although Mr Cleary used cocaine three days before he played, cocaine was still in his system when he played.
“Cocaine is banned from sport and Athletes are solely responsible for what is in their system, regardless of whether there is an intention to cheat or not.
“Sportspeople have to be aware that using cocaine at any time will put them at great risk of breaking the anti-doping rules and receiving a long ban”.
WRU chief executive Martyn Phillips said, “This case serves as a strong warning to everyone in the game that non-compliance with anti-doping rules carries grave consequences.
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“Whether intentional, or inadvertent, players have a responsibility to themselves, to each other, to their clubs and to the sport to act within the rules and spirit of the game.
“We work closely with UK Anti-Doping and fully adhere to the World Anti-Doping Code.
“There is no room in the code for carelessness or not knowing, and players are encouraged to check the anti-doping section on the WRU website which also includes advice regarding over-the-shelf medication and supplements.
“Many of the ADRV findings are intelligence-led and we will be relentless in working with UKAD to follow up leads that out players who dope in Welsh rugby.”
Last November it was revealed another two players – Merthyr RFC’s Owen Morgan and Glynneath’s Greg Roberts – had been suspended from all sport after being found guilty of taking banned performance-enhancing substances.
Morgan was banned four four years after testing positive for the presence of the anabolic steroid drostanolone and the stimulant benzoylcgonine (a metabolite of cocaine) following a 15-10 Swalec Championship defeat at Bridgend Athletic earlier in the year year.
His team-mate Ben Murphy has already served a ban for also testing positive for a performance-enhancing stimulant following the same fixture.
The cases of Morgan and Roberts took the number of British rugby union players sanctioned since UKAD was formed in 2009 to 37.
Of the 50 people who were on its banned list at the time, 16 of them were union players, with 10 of them Welsh.
see-http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/eleventh-welsh-rugby-player-handed-10795914
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