The NRL is accused of an ‘abhorrent abuse of power’ over shocking act in reaction to viral video of five Roosters stars in
- Sydney Roosters stars were reportedly targeted for testing
- Four players were wrongly accused of drug use
- According to reports, those players were required to undergo drug testing
The NRL reportedly tested the four Roosters stars wrongly accused of taking illegal substances the night before a match.
Roosters players Terrell May, Brandon Smith, Joseph Suaali’i, Naufahu Whyte, Spencer Leniu and Zach Dockar-Clay were featured in a live video May posted to streaming platform Twitch, with the footage lasting just over an hour.
May gave away Roosters items to subscribers. However, a heavily edited version of the video went viral, prompting a large number of potentially defamatory comments from fans who falsely claimed that some players were taking drugs.
Some football fans falsely accused the players of taking drugs while off camera in the footage, which was investigated by Daily Mail Australia and shows no evidence of any illegal activity.
Daily Mail Australia does not conclude that anyone depicted in the video acted illegally or breached NRL rules.
Four Sydney Roosters stars were reportedly targeted tested by the NRL
Brandon Smith (center) was one of four players wrongly accused after an edited video went viral on social media this week
The video was a light-hearted open forum with fans, with the players happily chatting with their supporters, sending shout-outs and giving away products to lucky supporters.
The Roosters later dismissed the accusation and launched a fervent defense of their players. But the Sydney Morning Herald reports that the four stars were tested by the NRL in the aftermath of the episode.
An angry Clint Newton has lashed out at the NRL’s ‘abhorrent abuse of power’.
“It’s a disgusting abuse of power,” the Rugby League Players Association boss said. ‘The players opt for this policy. If this is the way it’s going to roll out, we’ll seriously consider blowing it up. This is not the way it should be used.”
The NRL has the power to target Test players if it has information about possible drug use, but this depends on the time of year the alleged incident occurred.
Smith, along with former teammates Cameron Munster and Chris Lewis, were not tested following their 2021 white powder scandal because the incident occurred in the offseason, although the trio were given a one-match ban and fined a total of $49,000.
RLPA chief Clint Newton called the NRL’s move an ‘abhorrent abuse of power’
Dally M medalist Kalyn Ponga and Newcastle teammate Kurt Mann were targeted in 2022 after a video emerged of them leaving a toilet cubicle together in a pub. The findings of those tests remain confidential.
The latest example of a target test is that of Sharks star Braydon Trindall, who was tested three days after failing a roadside test for illegal drugs and alcohol following their win over North Queensland in round seven.
The SMH adds that the NRL has no control over who or when clubs are targeted, and that the process is carried out by an independent pathology laboratory.
The NRL policy also states that it should be ‘impossible for any individual player to know how many tests he faces’ and ‘the timing of each testing session will vary so that there will be no discernible pattern to the players as to when the tests will take place. place’.
But Newton demands clarification on the policy.
“Someone at the NRL needs to explain what the target test threshold is because that’s what this was,” he said. “Anyone who says otherwise might as well change their name to Pinocchio.”