In December 2011, Martin Gleeson was vanned for three years after failing a drugs test.
This came after he joined Hull FC earlier that year shortly after being key to Wigan Warriors’ 2010 title win.
He joined on an 18-month contract but in June had been granted his release due to a stress related illness.
Then in December, he was hit with a ban after failing a drugs test in May.
He would return to the sport with Salford Red Devils.
Speaking on the Out of your League podcast, Gleeson said:
“It was soul-destroying that ban. It was awful. I could take the other one (betting ban), that was just a stupid mistake.
“This one though really hurt me. It just completely came out of the blue and took me by surprise. It just full side-swiped me.
“It was just like a guarana, everyone at Hull FC was taking it when I got there, flying around the changing rooms. It was a supplement before and after games that players would take.
“So Longy has gone in with and the Strength and Conditioning Coach has checked it out. There are two lists though to check, they are in-competition and out-of-competition.
“They cross over training and matchdays too. So you could have something in your system on a training day that is okay, but that’s not okay for a matchday.
“So one says in, and the other says in and out. I think the S&C fella had looked it up and looked at the wrong one presuming if he looks at that one it covers the other one as well.
“So he cleared it, but if he had have looked at the other list he would have realised that it was banned.
“Now a few of them were taking it before I got there, they had been tested but they were tested on a training day so it never came back as a positive result, whereas I got tested after a game.
“It was pretty dark, just because of the stigma attached to it. I didn’t want to speak to or see anyone, and I just completely lost my purpose because I just didn’t have anything to aim for.
“I just hit the training really hard after that, I became the fittest I have ever been and that got my head in the right place.”
