Former Hull KR and Leeds centre Thomas Minns has been handed a backdated 16-month ban for taking cocaine.
Minns tested positive following an in-competition test last March, after Hull KR played against Huddersfield. Minns later revealed he took the substance on Mother’s Day, having struggled to cope with the death of his mother.
And he has now discovered his fate – with his ban running until midnight on July 14 this year, from which point he will be free to resume his career as a rugby league player.
Minns was charged with an ADRV pursuant to Article 2.1 of the Anti-Doping Rules – “Presence of a Prohibited Substance or its Metabolites or Markers in an Athlete’s Sample”.
UKAD’s Chief Executive, Nicole Sapstead, said: “All athletes must adhere to the principle of strict liability, regardless of whether or not they are deliberately seeking to gain an unfair sporting advantage.
“It is an athlete’s responsibility to know what substances are in their system, and they must be aware that even if a substance is not banned out-of-competition, there is always the possibility of it remaining in their body for a period of time and it being detected in-competition.”
