UK Anti-Doping has launched an investigation into allegations that a senior Rugby Football League official was involved in supplying recreational drugs to players.
Telegraph Sport has learned that UKAD began investigating last month after the RFL informed the Doping Enforcement Agency that they were investigating allegations they had received about a member of their own staff.
UKAD is gathering evidence after allegations were made of the supply of drugs to up to six players.
The RFL official is said to have supplied a range of individuals with strong ties to the sport, including ex-professionals and semi-professionals, as well as grassroots players and coaches.
The allegations allegedly come from a whistleblower who accused the RFL official of purchasing cocaine for personal use and arranging the sale of the drug to players.
The RFL passed details of the allegations to UKAD as it involved an individual who worked in a professional sporting environment.
Rugby league has received significant negative publicity in recent years due to drug use. Former Bradford Bulls winger David Foggin-Johnston was handed a two-year ban after testing positive for cocaine last summer, after similar bans were imposed on England internationals Zak Hardaker and Rangi Chase.
In addition to Foggin-Johnston, there are seven other rugby league players serving a UKAD ban for using performance-enhancing drugs, but the view of many in the sport appears to be that recreational drugs are a much bigger problem.
Club owners have privately admitted that social drug use is a growing problem, with former Leigh Centurions prop Jamie Acton claiming it was endemic after he was banned two years ago following a positive cocaine test.
“You’re probably abnormal in the rugby world if you haven’t used drugs at some point, whether social or performance-enhancing,” Acton said.
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