Wasps forward Ashley Johnson has been suspended from all sport for six months after a breach of anti-doping rules.
In a statement, the Rugby Football Union said 32-year-old Johnson tested positive for the presence of specified substance hydrochlorothiazide following an out-of-competition test at the Premiership club.
Johnson claimed an adverse analytical finding was the result of mistakenly consuming his wife’s dietary supplement – a fat burner called ‘The Secret’ – which she purchased from South Africa.
Johnson’s suspension is backdated to run from February 7 this year – the date of his urine sample collection – until August 7. He will be eligible to start the new season with his club.
The product was tested by both Johnson and the RFU for hydrochlorothiazide, which was not listed in the product’s ingredients, and on both occasions it returned a positive result.
An anti-doping independent panel decided to backdate Ashley Johnson's suspension to 7th February - the day of the failed test - even though he played four times for Wasps since that point. Full judgment is here: https://t.co/nj4C2G5jeO
— Chris Jones BBC (@chjones9) July 26, 2018
An independent national anti-doping panel, while imposing a period of suspension, accepted that the prohibited substance was not ingested intentionally.
Stephen Watkins, the RFU’s anti-doping and illicit drugs programme manager, said: “Ashley Johnson was careless in his failure to acknowledge his responsibilities as a Rugby player and ensure he was dutiful in checking what he consumed.
“The risk of contamination in supplements is significant to all players, and therefore we advise that there is no guarantee that a supplement is free from prohibited substances.”
Johnson, meanwhile, added: “I was horrified when I got the test results, and once we tracked back and worked out I had inadvertently taken the wrong tablet.
“I completely accept that I am responsible for everything in my body. Drug use is not something I would ever condone, and from now on I will be extra vigilant at all times.
“I would like to thank my family and friends, everyone at Wasps, the RPA (Rugby Players’ Association) and our fans for their support through this difficult period, and apologise unreservedly for what has happened.
“I am now working hard in pre-season and I am looking forward to putting this behind me and getting back to being part of the Wasps squad.”
Ashley Johnson news update...https://t.co/ESGSWs5gZB pic.twitter.com/zWl0o1CSmj
— Wasps Rugby (@WaspsRugby) July 26, 2018
Johnson has not played for Wasps since early March, and Wasps Rugby director Dai Young said in a club statement: “We fully support the measures in place to keep Rugby doping-free, and are grateful for the professionalism shown by everyone involved in this case.
“Ashley has been at Wasps since 2012 and in that time successfully completed countless anti-doping tests.
“He is an extremely honourable person who has made a one-off accidental error for which he has held his hands up, apologised and accepted the consequences.
“This situation has highlighted just how easily a player can make a mistake of this kind.
“We have therefore strongly reinforced to all our squad that they must always be on their guard and fully aware of exactly what they consume.”
