Considering some of the players we allow to play the game it is massively hypocritical to ban hock

But it will at least allow some to feel better by demonizing him and wailling 'won't somebody please think of the children'

The rl family, where a drunks escapades are thing of legend, violent criminals are welcomed with open arms, drink drivers, violent racists, wife beaters, crooks, and liars are accepted and venerated internationals,

But kids, don't put a relatively harmless White powder up your nose, cos that's bad mmmkay, go kick a guy in the head, throw a glass at your girl, take a poo in a shoe, drink until you can barely stand or you fight instead, these things are ok

an england international stand off

Could you ask him if it's still three crates for £18 please?

Got a BBQ coming up haven't I!

That could be a double edged sword though Ricky. If kids see that he's become an international RL player, whilst taking these recreational drugs, how does this put them off?

Some may see that he's been able to achieve these honours whilst being on drugs and find it acceptable to use similar sorts of these.

Some time away from the game to get himself clean and think about what he's done is the best form of action here, we shouldn't want druggies talking to the youth of today.

Well firstly, when did I say I was an expert and secondly you seem to assume, by the tone of your post, that because I am cyclist and follow pro-cycling I must condone drug use. I don't!

Firstly, before I tell you the reason, I think old Tornado Tom did deserve to have his racing license taken away but of course the rules at the time for his first test in 2007 were different and his following two test were out of competition... and therein lies your answer.

His test is May 08 and his test in April 09 were both out of competition, and as you clearly know the WADA guidelines so well, Cocaine is not considered performance enhancing outside of competition but only recreational. As such, if Gareth had tested positive outside of competition, which he didn't, then he might not get any sanctions from the RFL or WADA. However, that is not to say that he might have something in his contract allowing Wigan to sack him for any sort of drug use irrespective of a formal ban!

Of course you clearly know that Tom did not ride the Tour in 08, along with many other races who to chose, despite still holding his license, to not let him start. He was also, I believe, found guilty in a Belgian court for using illegal drugs, but they did not give him a custodial sentence.

After his positive in April 09 he was suspended by his team for a time and was only allowed to start this years Tour because the ASO were going to lose in court because of a legal challenge!

Do I think this stinks, yes big time, but by the same token I would have have been as equally disgusted if Gareth had been caught snorting a line in a Wigan night club and arrested by the Police and with the RFL/WADA unable to act.

No we should want EX druggies talking to the youth of today, showing how taking drugs has had a negative impact upon him (and more than likely his family and friends) and his career, how he knows it was a mistake and regrets it etc etc and how he is now having to work twice as hard just to ensure that after his ban (during which time he will inevitably lose plenty of money) he can rescue some part of his career. (if he isn't capable of doing that then it shouldn't happen)

Nobody wants it to be glamorised but if it was to happen then it could be very effective, when I have taught Drug Ed courses to 13 -15 year olds we have used DVDs with stories from people who have been their done that got the T shirt and generally they really make the kids stop and think.

We are all assuming here that Hock actually does think he's made a mistake and wants to educate lots of kids on how not to do what he's done. He could (for all we know) be sitting at home with his head in a pile of the white stuff beatching about the *ankers at the RFL and crying about how he's been victimised and everyone in the game is "at it", and 2 years is a rediculous, and other sports (like those poofs who get paid millions for kicking a round ball around) let their players get away with anything.

On the other hand players have been abusing alcohol for years in RL. Some of the players we now see as greats had serious drink problems (Jason Robinson pops into mind - and that's from his own book, not me quoting gossip) and the behaviour problems that go with that. Are they any more worthy than Hock? Coke is the alchopop of today after all? Should the RFL really be banning players for 2 years - or frankly even testing for cocaine? It doesn't enhance performance and only brings the game into disrepute when a positive test comes up. Your personal life is your personal life, clubs are not going to encourage cocaine use because it can harm player performance - just like alcohol, so should they be allowed to deal with it internally?

Jordan, they get to see the massive fall from grace he had after being caught, its a massive message.

If you had the slightest bit of talent with a chance of turning or being a pro, i'm willing to bet that you wouldn't have put that coke up your nose!

I think educating players of the risks of cocaine is just as important.

Obviously they aren't able to go and drink 20 pints on a night out and end up with a beer belly, so they look for other ways of getting wasted. It's not hard to see that a lot of RL players are blatently stupid, they may not understand that they're going all that much wrong.

Sorry but by the time they are playing at a professional level even the most intellectually challenged player should have the sense to know that if they take drugs they are risking their careers, now obviously some thing thats a risk worth taking but I would doubt their are many that aren't aware of the risk involved.

If your going to educate about the risk of drugs it has to be done from a young age.

But do they know?

It's not just in RL, cocaine is becoming increasingly popular in society, people seem to think it's harmless.

If they don't then they don't deserve to be professional sports people. Even if they are stupid enough not to know the health risks then they should at least know "I take this I risk losing my career"

You would think so, but from the scroll like list of players I know that use it you have to question if they're either stupid, or not enough is being done to educate them about the risks not only on their careers, but their bodies aswel.

The problem is how big is the risk of getting caught? from what I have heard about the testing players have a pretty good chance of avoiding testing so in that case they my decide its a risk worth taking. Perhaps with more testing of players there would be more players deciding the risk is not worth taking.

Most drug users know the risks to their body but it doesn't stop them making the choice for whatever reason to do so. Just like people know the risks to their body of drinking large amounts of alcohol but still do it - stupid yes but it also comes down to personal choice and the level of risk they are willing to take.

So they can't get a beer belly by drinking 20 pints so they get wasted on coke instead???????

In short, yes.

Dear Mr I Armadillo
I never intended to imply that you condoned drug use.
I wanted to point out in my view the apparent different approach of different professional sports to the use of drugs.

Jordan, do you know how stupid you are looking on this thread? Players can't drink so they take coke? take Gary Connolly for example, he used to drink 20+ pints but didn't have a beer belly!

AFAIK, the same rules apply to any sport that has signed up to the testing.

Apology accepted and thank you.

It did used to be very different and lets face it, pro-cycling ignored the problem of drug use for 30+ years!

Now however most sports, RL included, have signed up to abide by the WADA guidelines.

It is the use of Cocaine and other recreational drugs that do have any real or very short lived performance enhancing ability that lead to some confusion. As far as WADA is concerned their job is to stop people cheating at sports, not to police the legal or illegal use of drugs outside of competition use, unless of course that drug is considered to have advantages in out of competition training. As such they have two main testing areas, in competition and outside competition, the banned list of drugs being different for each. Put simply, pretty much any drug that is not on the approved list (so only some pain killers, approved asthma drugs etc) including all illegal drugs (Cocaine, Ecstasy, weed etc, etc) is banned in competition but outside competition if it is not used to make you trainer harder or a steroid, then they feel it is not there job to police this. They are not moral arbiters, they just try to stop people using drugs to cheat in sport!

So if Gareth had been tested at any other time, other than straight after the game in a formal in-competition (he had just come off the pitch)test he would not be facing an offical ban by the goverening body! That is not to say the Wigan would have displined/sacked him, but they can be moral arbiters because they set the tone in their own club/company and in their employement policy!

As it is in all sports that sign up to WADA, the first time ban for a failure of an in competition test is a two year suspension. So Gareth has been very silly and will most probably get two years!

But WADA class cocaine as a performance enhancing drug for in-competition testing purposes. Given that the RFL have signed up to their code of conduct, they've got to play by their rules. How it's classed this way, I have no idea, but the facts are it is.

The last high profile sportsman I remember being "found out" was Matt Stevens, the Bath RU prop, and he got the seemingly obligatory 2 year ban.

Like I said above, I think it is more to do with the overall WADA approach that any drug in the system that is not APPROVED for use during competition (certain pain killers, allergy treatments etc) is on the in-competition banned list. Outside of competition, if you want to do lines of coke is does not help you train better, make you stronger etc it is up to you, so the banned list is reduced.

It also allows sports people to take genuine prescription drugs for proper medical conditions outside of competition as long as, when they return, it has left their system. If you get ill and need to take certain drugs to make you better and a out-of competition tester turns up, they can hardly ban you. If however, you return too quickly and it is still in your system you could be in trouble.

If Gareth had been pulled by the Police on suspsion of taking illegal drugs, tested and it was found to be Cocaine WADA and the RFL could not ban him, period! However, he was tested in competition after a game and he had it in his system. Almost automatic 2 year ban!

I think it just 'shows up' in the overall test results. I think if it does come up out of competition I think they have a duty to report it to the sport governing bodyand club, if they request that is the case. How they then choose to then handle that is up to them.

I wonder what would happen if they took a hair sample of every player playing Superleague at the moment and did the analysis.

a lot of panic would be my guess!