Failing a drugs test

[yorkshire seagull]

Interesting discussion at the match yesterday ended up with this question that we couldn't answer. If a player fails a drugs test, can his club pass this off as an ongoing injury, or are the details available to the public? Not specifically talking about Albion here, but there's been a few Premier League players on long-term injuries where the parent club is very quiet about the cause and / or a return date.

Do you think this is a regular occurrence? I'm always surprised that more players aren't banned for failing drugs tests (was Jose Baxter at Sheff Utd the last one?) - with the amount of disposable cash the young players earn, I would have thought the temptation of drugs would be too much to resist for some.

 

[studio150]

I believe that the clubs are under no requirement to place this in the public domain. While a ban is in place I believe a first failure is focused more on education and support.

 

[Lurchy]

I believe that the clubs are under no requirement to place this in the public domain. While a ban is in place I believe a first failure is focused more on education and support.

It depends on the drug and the situation -The FA does not report the name of any player who tests positive for a social drug out of competition as this isn't a World Anti-Doping Agency code offence and players are banned only when they are detected in-competition, on the day of a game or immediately afterwards. These are mostly kept secret but the cases that have got out are usually because of press investigations. Think Jake Livermore was last to be named.

Players such as Kolo Toure who have been found to have taken performance-enhancing substances are publicly named.









if it's a recreational drug then it doesn't become public knowledge and is kept a secret.

 

[jon12345]

Dispatches did a doc on this a few years back:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0CHoW1wG5k

 

[Stat Brother]

Ah that's so sweet.

You're talking as if the players are regularly tested with the up to date methods.

How adorable.

 

[Garage_Doors]

It depends on the drug and the situation -The FA does not report the name of any player who tests positive for a social drug out of competition as this isn't a World Anti-Doping Agency code offence and players are banned only when they are detected in-competition, on the day of a game or immediately afterwards. These are mostly kept secret but the cases that have got out are usually because of press investigations. Think Jake Livermore was last to be named.

Players such as Kolo Toure who have been found to have taken performance-enhancing substances are publicly named.









if it's a recreational drug then it doesn't become public knowledge and is kept a secret.

How does one differentiate between a social drug and a normal drug?

 

[Napier's Knee]

If I remember right this is discussed in one of the Secret Footballer books. Evidently deals have been done - you get 'injured' for six months, we misplace the results of the drug test.

 

[Lurchy]

How does one differentiate between a social drug and a normal drug?

In this case a social drug is any that does not improve performance, so if a player had been caught for doing cocaine then all involved would be keen to keep it quiet, so it would avoid tarnishing the player, club and the league itself.

In the case of K Toure the drugs he took was his wifes slimming tablets and though legal were viewed as performance enhancing, so his 6 month ban became public knowledge.

 

[Gullflyinghigh]

I vaguely recall reading somewhere that players found using recreational drugs don't have to be disclosed to the public if the club decide not to, such as if a player comes forward and admits to having a problem. The resulting rehab/recovery was apparently then passed off as an injury, which seems fair to me.