Wigan Warriors forward Gabe Hamlin fails drugs test

[Davo5]

11 hours ago, latchford albion said:

The Richard Gasquet defence.  He got away with it in tennis I think.

Should have used Ben Barba's lawyer,he'd be back playing by now.

[hrtbps]

[DavidM]

That’s a cracking excuse . It’s up there with ‘ I couldn’t come to work because there was a solar eclipse and a friend said it wasn’t safe to leave the house ‘

[aj1908]

wendell sailor copped two years for being busted doing cocaine.

imo they shouldnt be testing for recreational drugs as they arent performance enhancing.

unless they also start testing police, judges, politicians, lawyers and doctors too

cocaine use is very common

[RP London]

54 minutes ago, aj1908 said:

wendell sailor copped two years for being busted doing cocaine.

imo they shouldnt be testing for recreational drugs as they arent performance enhancing.

unless they also start testing police, judges, politicians, lawyers and doctors too

cocaine use is very common

the last 2 companies that i worked for before coming back into the family business were both major financial institutions in London and they randomly tested. You would lose your job for testing positive. 

i would not be at all surprised to find out that there are a lot more places (maybe not politicians) that are similar. 

In many years of going out with work in London i never came across drug usage at all. 

[aj1908]

3 minutes ago, RP London said:

the last 2 companies that i worked for before coming back into the family business were both major financial institutions in London and they randomly tested. You would lose your job for testing positive. 

i would not be at all surprised to find out that there are a lot more places (maybe not politicians) that are similar. 

In many years of going out with work in London i never came across drug usage at all. 

Really?

I was speaking to a friend in real estate she said it's very common in London

It is very common here 

I hardly know anyone under 40 who hasn't done it.

Even 18 yr old girls in clubs love the stuff 

Apparently It's very cheap over there as well !

[overtheborder]

1 hour ago, aj1908 said:

wendell sailor copped two years for being busted doing cocaine.

imo they shouldnt be testing for recreational drugs as they arent performance enhancing.

unless they also start testing police, judges, politicians, lawyers and doctors too

cocaine use is very common

Yeah I would agree with that to be honest - do I think cocaine use is healthy? No I don't, but if you're relating it to whether or not a substance is performance enhancing then I'd argue that it isn't. However, if you're talking about a compound or supplement that contains small traces of cocaine that stimulates the body (I'm no biologist so not trying to explain how), then maybe the point is that's possible and that's where the issue is rather than with recreational drugs.

[LR23]

I'd say it a moral thing and obviously not performance enhancing. Someone mentioned using non-performance enhancing drugs to mask performance enhancing drug use but that doesn't apply to coke - they were probably thinking of ephedrine in cough mixtures which is one of them. If it was up to me I'd say as long as they were not using on game day for some ill advised pain relief a six month ban for a first offence would be more than enough.

[aj1908]

7 minutes ago, LR23 said:

I'd say it a moral thing and obviously not performance enhancing. Someone mentioned using non-performance enhancing drugs to mask performance enhancing drug use but that doesn't apply to coke - they were probably thinking of ephedrine in cough mixtures which is one of them. If it was up to me I'd say as long as they were not using on game day for some ill advised pain relief a six month ban for a first offence would be more than enough.

First two offences should be a monetary fine and counselling 

I think afl used to have a three strikes policy for cocaine

I think the nrl also has something similar.  I think clubs keep results in house for first or second offences 

[aj1908]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.news.com.au/sport/nrl/nrls-dirty-drugs-secret-exposed-report-claims/news-story/b3aabf76543643cce40166815a3e95b0

40 percent of nrl players have a first strike for recreational drug use (2017)

[LR23]

5 minutes ago, aj1908 said:

First two offences should be a monetary fine and counselling 

I think afl used to have a three strikes policy for cocaine

I think the nrl also has something similar.  I think clubs keep results in house for first or second offences 

I agree to be honest, I just think the 6 month ban is more realistic when you see what we currently have - doubt they will go from 2 year ban to nothing right away. 2 year ban for recreational drug use helps nobody and is difficult to justify though. We have a weird thing with drugs in this country.

[aj1908]

1 minute ago, LR23 said:

I agree to be honest, I just think the 6 month ban is more realistic when you see what we currently have - doubt they will go from 2 year ban to nothing right away. 2 year ban for recreational drug use helps nobody and is difficult to justify though. We have a weird thing with drugs in this country though.

Did you see the link above ?

Nrl first offence is hushed up and counselling 

2nd offence is 12 matches 

And 2 years is draconian.  Agreed

[Jim Prendle]

I've got an idea. How about the players just grow up, show a bit of maturity and professional pride, and don't take drugs at all?

A bit radical probably, but as an idea I think it has some merit.

Idiots.

[henage]

Maybe the carnage and chaos caused by illegal drugs is taken into account when punishment is handed out .  

[aj1908]

4 minutes ago, henage said:

Maybe the carnage and chaos caused by illegal drugs is taken into account when punishment is handed out .  

So players get stood down for drinking alcohol too ?

[LR23]

15 minutes ago, henage said:

Maybe the carnage and chaos caused by illegal drugs is taken into account when punishment is handed out .  

It gets messy when it comes down to this though doesn't it? Booze is legal yet alcohol related crime causes allsorts of problems and alcohol related illness costs the NHS an absolute fortune. They are legalising coca growers in some places now. Its not black and white.

I've gone off topic here - I'll leave it there and get back to rugby.

[Rupert Prince]

On 02/04/2019 at 22:00, Chris22 said:

Wigan's actions of standing by Hardaker and inaction following the John Bateman incident a couple of years ago make it really difficult for them to discipline players for off-field indiscretions going forward.

There certainly are a lot of off-field indiscretions lately, that they need to get a grip of.

Yawn....

[Rupert Prince]

2 hours ago, DavidM said:

That’s a cracking excuse . It’s up there with ‘ I couldn’t come to work because there was a solar eclipse and a friend said it wasn’t safe to leave the house ‘

Someone should have told them not to kiss the hand that feeds you

[RP London]

1 hour ago, aj1908 said:

Really?

I was speaking to a friend in real estate she said it's very common in London

It is very common here 

I hardly know anyone under 40 who hasn't done it.

Even 18 yr old girls in clubs love the stuff 

Apparently It's very cheap over there as well !

Yep, worked both front and back off within the financial services in my years in London. Went out with clients and as company nights out (and of course RL nights out) and never once came across drugs anywhere. 

For something that is apparently so common when these sorts of cases pop up, it is something I have never ever come into contact with and i worked in an industry relatively renowned for it or certainly it was. 

[RP London]

23 minutes ago, aj1908 said:

So players get stood down for drinking alcohol too ?

the key would be in the term illegal. Totally understand where you are coming from on this but he did say illegal. 

On the wider point if you turn up to training drunk or hungover it is likely to have an adverse effect on your prospects I would suggest. . 

[Jim Prendle]

2 minutes ago, RP London said:

Yep, worked both front and back off within the financial services in my years in London. Went out with clients and as company nights out (and of course RL nights out) and never once came across drugs anywhere. 

For something that is apparently so common when these sorts of cases pop up, it is something I have never ever come into contact with. 

Loads of people claim that cocaine use is widespread these days, but maybe it's mainly those people who actually use it that make these claims?

I have never actually seen anyone using cocaine.

[SSoutherner]

On 03/05/2019 at 12:36, Cheshire Setter said:

I assume there was a sudden sensationalist article covering two pages in the Daily Mail titled "The Drugs Shame of Rugby Union'...?   Oh, there wasn't, you say? 

I am aware of a RFU lv5 player who is serving a drug (cocaine) driving ban but still playing- surely having been convicted in a court for taking drugs if that person plays in a sport with a drug policy that should be automatically triggered and an additional sanction handed out in accordance with the sports drug policy

[RP London]

1 minute ago, Jim Prendle said:

Loads of people claim that cocaine use is widespread these days, but maybe it's mainly those people who actually use it that make these claims?

I have never actually seen anyone using cocaine.

yes i would agree 100% with that. I think when people say it is widespread or rife then that is mainly because you are within that world. There are plenty of things I am surprised that people are unaware of when i talk to them but just because i, and my friends, are interested in it etc does not mean that it is actually that popular. 

[henage]

3 hours ago, aj1908 said:

So players get stood down for drinking alcohol too ?

Booze is legal . 

[dkw]

Always makes me laugh when I see people claim its harsh because "it's not performance enhancing". You know what, my first preference is the dumb muppets don't take any drugs, but its surely worse taking performance diminishing drugs...