Martin Gleeson banned for three years after testing positive for the prohibited drug
The Former Great Britain centre Martin Gleeson’s prospects in the world of rugby league have gone bleak, after he tested positive for the consumption of banned stimulant, methylhexaneamine, during his stay at the previous franchise, Hull FC.
He has been banned for three years by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD). This news was confirmed on December 29, 2011.
Along with him, his former chief executive, James Rule, and the fitness conditioner Ben Cooper have also been banned as they had lied at the hearing in June regarding Gleeson’s drug abuse case. The 31-year-old player was using the prohibited drug with support
of Cooper and Rule.
In an attempt to reduce Gleeson’s punishment, Cooper even stretched to the limit of taking sole responsibility of the banned drug found in the British centre’s possession, on himself. Their involvement in the drug abuse case makes them the first off-field
offenders as per the UK Anti-Doping Agency.
Rule faces a two-year ban from being part of any playing side of sports. Meanwhile, Cooper’s banned term had been halved to just one year because he had co-operated with the UKAD in their findings.
While sharing his views about the bans imposed, Andy Parkinson, the chief executive of UKAD shared that the case unveiled the “two firsts” of the anti-doping community.
He added, “It is the first time that tampering with the doping control process in this manner has resulted in a violation, and the first time that members of an athlete's entourage have been convicted of anti-doping rule violations in the UK.”
He continued, “In a hearing before the national anti-doping panel, athletes and their entourage are obliged to tell the truth, or the system will fail, and this case makes clear the penalties for not doing so. Once again, this highlights to the sporting
community that UK Anti-Doping will aggressively pursue all types of anti-doping rule violation.”
It was also shared by him that the objective of UKAD is to cleanse all type of sports from the curse of usage of banned drugs. Usually, the drug usage is factored in by the players to improve on their existing performance of games by building up their stamina.
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