Scots prop Walker gets 20-month drugs ban
Scotland international Adam Walker has been given a 20-month ban for cocaine use.
Former Hull KR prop Walker, who is now 27, was given the suspension by UK Anti-doping (UKAD) following a failed drugs test last July, when he was playing for Wakefield.
He was initially suspended on 4 August, 2017, 24 hours after it was revealed Widnes’ former Castleford half-back Rangi Chase had also tested positive for cocaine, and it cost him a place in Scotland’s World Cup squad.
Walker, who played for Scotland in the 2013 World Cup, told a UKAD hearing that he used cocaine three days before a match against Widnes to “escape from difficult personal circumstances” and UKAD agreed to reduce the suspension from the normal two years after he proved he was suffering from mental health problems.
UKAD chief executive Nicole Sapstead said: “While UKAD accepts antidoping rule violations don’t always stem from a deliberate intention to cheat, athletes must always adhere to the principle of strict liability.
“Cocaine is banned incompetition and athletes are solely responsible for what is in their system, regardless of whether there is an intention to cheat or not. Sportspeople must be aware that using cocaine, even out-of-competition, will put them at risk of breaking the anti-doping rules and receiving a long ban.”
Walker is banned from all sport until midnight on 13 March, 2019. He made 87 Super League appearances for Hull KR from 2013-16 and also played for Huddersfield and St Helens before joining Wakefield.