Danny Bridge has re-signed for Oldham after being cleared to play following a drugs ban.
Bridge had been handed a two-year suspension after testing positive for cocaine last year, but World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) amended its rules regarding recreational drug use.
New rules state individuals who take a ‘substance of abuse’ and can establish that it was taken out of competition and not related to enhance performance can apply to have their bans reduced to three months.
As a result, Bridge is now free to continue his career.
He will do that with the Roughyeds, where he was playing before the ban.
“I’m very happy to say I’m back at Oldham,” he said.
“It hasn’t been the best 12 months of my life, but I didn’t expect to be playing in 2021 so I’m very grateful for the change of rules and the reduction in my ban.
“I’ll be back training with the squad tonight and I can’t tell you how good that will feel.
“I know what I did was illegal and wrong, but I never intended to cheat or to enhance my performance. There were issues in my life which had got on top of me and I made wrong choices in trying to deal with them.
“I am very grateful to the many people who have helped me through this, especially Chris Hamilton (Oldham RLFC chairman) and the people at Rugby League Cares and Sporting Chance.
“I would like to apologise publicly to all the people who have been affected by this and to tell them how sorry I am.
“I just want to put it all behind me now and get on with the job of earning my place in the Oldham team and helping us to do well in the Championship.”
