McDermott fails a drugs test

Brett McDermott, the Rugby ace, has failed to clear a drug test. Traces of steroids were found in his urine after Rugby Football League testers visited him at his Dalton home on March 2.

The Barrow Raiders forward was in the middle of a six-match ban for stamping and punching at the time.

From Nwemail.co.uk:

In his first interview following the test results and his retirement – hastened by his wish to avoid tarnishing Raiders – the father-of-three said he had taken a healing agent to speed his recovery and aid his return to his day job as a coal man.

He said: “When I was banned for seven weeks, I fit in to get my elbow fixed.

“I took some orals from the gym to speed things up. With work, I wanted to get back to fitness as soon as I could.

“I didn’t ask what was in them. I knew they were anabolic, but I didn’t ask what was in them, I just wanted to get back playing and working and this sorted us out.

“There are things you can take in competition and out of competition and I thought, as long as I’m clear when I’m playing, I would be fine.

“I was never taking any performance-enhancing drugs when I was playing.

“It’s a bad way to end (my career). I hope people don’t judge me on what I have done now, but rather what I have done in the past.

“All I did it for was to get back as quick as possible for work and for rugby.

McDermott will have an appeal hearing with the RFL on May 10.