Former Leigh Centurions player Jamie Acton has alleged widespread doping in Rugby League after receiving a retrospective ban for taking drugs during his career.
The retired player was last week handed a two-year ban from sport by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) after a sample from December 2014 was found to contain a prohibited substance.
A re-analysis of the out-of-competition urine sample detected Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-6 (GHRP-6), the first time UKAD had found a banned substance in a sample following long-term storage.
In a video released on social media last week, after receiving the suspension, Acton claimed that the use of both recreational and performance-enhancing drugs was rife within the game.
“You’re probably abnormal in the rugby world if you haven’t taken drugs at some point, either socially or performance enhancing, throughout your career,” he said.
“You’d probably be deemed as abnormal, I would say anyway, if you haven’t touched a drug in that time.
“That’s a problem, and that problem hasn’t been talked about. When you’re in the rugby culture you sort of turn blind eye to it, because you accept it’s part of what people do in that world.”
In describing the drug taking from 2014 that led to his ban, Acton outlined a “cat and mouse” game where he said numerous players were taking the particular drug expecting to get away with it.
“They’ve gone back eight years to a time when I was playing for Leigh Centurions, where GHRP was a common occurrence for a few of us,” he said. “It was the new thing, it was fashion, it was working.
“I took peptides for a bit at that time along with other drugs – cocaine, stuff like that.
“It just so happened that when I got tested part of the science wasn’t available to test for that substance, which is why people took it.
“It’s a game of cat and mouse, trying to cheat the testers and get away with it, to be as good as you can without getting caught.
“After a few months of taking it there were a few players who started to get tested and they got banned for said drug. I stopped taking it after that, we realised the science was available to test it.”
Acton admitted he had been “in the wrong” for taking drugs and “shouldn’t have done it”, but hit out at the RFL for, he said, asking him to take down an initial video last year in which he admitted drug use because it put the game into disrepute.
“Their response to me coming out and being honest regarding my experiences with drugs whilst being an athlete, and trying to demonise it straight away by trying to make me remove the video, by making me feel bad or whatever, just shows the lengths that they’ll go to to try and not reveal the reality of the situation, which is that unfortunately rugby players take drugs: socially, performance-enhancing,” he said.
Acton, who retired in 2019 but is now banned until April 2023, added that he had decided to speak about drug use in Rugby League so that the problem could be discussed openly.
“I think it’s important, personally, for ex-players and current players to talk about their own experiences and try and help players that are coming through, younger players, learn from our faults,” he said.
The RFL said that they condemn drug use and encouraged anyone with concerns to report it to them or UKAD.
“The RFL is committed to Rugby League being a Clean Sport,” they said. “The RFL condemns drug use in sport as doping is harmful to the core values of Rugby League.
“It is damaging to players’ health and wellbeing, the fairness and integrity of the competition and prevents all from the right to participate in a doping free competition.
“The RFL works closely with UK Anti-Doping with all alleged breaches of the Anti-Doping Rules being referred to and investigated by UKAD.
“The RFL has a significant focus on education of players including online and with anti-doping workshops run annually by UKAD trained Educators. In addition, it is compulsory for certain support staff to have completed UKAD’s Clean Sport Advisor Course.
“In conjunction with UKAD, we carry out a number of in and out of competition doping tests. We are also supportive of UKAD’s testing of historical tests and believe this plays an important part in messaging to players on ensuring the sport remains clean.
“We actively encourage anyone who has any concerns regarding doping to report them. The RFL passes any intelligence in relation to any anti-doping complaints or concerns, to UKAD. UKAD also has a confidential hotline which allows anyone to report concerns direct to UKAD.”
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