He received notice of his suspension in December
Former Super League Man of Steel Rangi Chase was banned for three months after testing positive for cocaine last season, the UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) has confirmed.
Chase submitted a positive sample at a League 1 match between Rochdale Hornets and North Wales Crusaders in September, and received notice of his suspension in December.
UKAD said that Chase, 36, who left Rochdale for unconnected reasons at the end of last season and is currently without a club, has served his ban and is now free to resume playing.
It is the third time Chase has been banned for cocaine use during his career, having served a two-year ban when he played for Widnes in 2017, and a one-month ban after a positive test in January 2022.
UKAD said it accepted that Chase did not use the drug with the intention of improving performance, and acknowledged that he had previously completed a substance abuse treatment programme.
Chase left Australia’s NRL to join Castleford in 2009 and two years later won the prestigious Man of Steel award before moving on to Salford. He also made eight appearances for England.
In a statement, the RFL said: “We support UKAD in their determination to ensure that sport is clean, and therefore in their testing programme for recreational as well as performance-enhancing drugs.
“We continue to prioritise education of players at all levels, working with our charity partners RL Cares, regarding the harmful side-effects of recreational drugs, as well as the potential impact of a positive test.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub
