That's a real shame, I like him as a player. The sport really seems to have a problem with this issue

I fully believe you. It's not uncommon in Wigan. Has been this way for years. Anyone who knows or has been close to the lads/game knows it's the norm. Like having a pint these days.

Absolutely, and people who don’t think it is common in the game are burying their heads in the sand or extremely naive. I have witnessed it past and present, in fact you don’t even have to see it happen.

Let’s just say high profile players should be a bit more self aware than be going to the toilet cubicle in every 15 minutes

Shame though, Hamlin had bags of talent...

The only people being let down are the players involved ... by themselves.

Stop being so bloody melodramatic. You sound like an enemy of the club rather than a fan.

The whole culture of modern society is warped, but that's no more Wigan's fault than it is yours. Players drink driving. Players taking drugs. Did Wigan Warriors encourage any of that?

We've won countless trophies (and rarely in modern times by buying in megastars). We've flooded the game with junior talent. We've led the fight against the abysmal RFL. We've very publically got rid of players who simply couldn't reform their stupid ways. There're lots of reasons why Wigan are a poster club for things that are good about the game.

Stupid @rse. Needs support & I just hope he doesn't go down the same route as Hock, say. If anyone was next to be on that list, he's the last i would've nominated.

Just seen this story. There's never a dull moment lately is there ? Dear oh dear.

Being a Wigan fan is anything but dull.

On a serious note if and when he is found guilty he deserves everything he gets. I’m gutted as I think he is a brilliant player with lots of potential but it opens up a door for one of our youngsters who played excellently at the weekend.

If it’s us Craig, we’re getting the wrong type.

I think you need to get over that chip on your shoulder. I'd hardly label someone doing a bit of coke as a 'scumbag'.

I see it differently; by buying that crap you contribute to the misery that "industry" causes across the world. From the people who are forced to grow it, the people who traffic it, forced or not, the dealers and the violence that the gangs and cartels inflict on anyone and everyone around them.

I also see this as being a lowering of accepted standards and linked to criminality.

In my town, it's these low lifes who charge around town speeding in cars or whatever, hyped up on this stuff. One of these idiots drove from Leeds to my town of Rochdale in 11 minutes ! Then proceeded to kill some innocent when driving through a red light at over 100mph. The idiot posted a vid on YT of himself doing over 130mph on the M62. He got over 6yrs in jail but the victims family have been campaigning ever since to have that sentence raised.

They don't call it 'Colombian marching powder' for nothing.

When they are on it they are a damned nuisance. In my local 'spoons' the bogs are constantly being used by the 'herberts' who sniff this stuff constantly. Why would they do this in there ? At the moment, all the ale is £1.99 a pint and some of it is over 6% strength.

It allows them to drink all night long until the early hours and feel alright, not be drunk or hungover either, if they get into a scrap they won’t feel anything either. I’d say the 24 hour drinking propagated this issue, before then everywhere closed at 2pm and went home.

Basically cocaine is prohibited “in competition” which means from 12 hours prior to a RL game to the post match urine tests afterwards. If tested outside of this period it is not a prohibited substance.

Cocaine will usually stay in the system for 2-4 days so if they took it on the night after a match they *should* be clear by the time of the next match.

This is why Ben Barba was able to avoid a full drugs ban. He failed the test for cocaine “out of competition” so was not subject to the official drugs ban, rather a 12 game NRL ban for bringing the game into disrepute.

Do we know it's cocaine? I know, given how rife it is throughout sport and society as a whole, that's it's the most likely but we seem to be jumping the gun a bit here. Unless I've missed something, of course..

It transcends merely the sport, it is a societal issue.

The UK is the cocaine capital of Europe. The rising trend of violent crime, particularly knife crime, ties in with the rise in use and availability of cocaine. Police budgets have been slashed, Westminster lacks the foresight to make the nuanced reform and change necessary to combat it. Our government believe greater powers to "stop and search" or to "put more police on the streets" will work when the issue stems from crypto-technology that makes it easy to advertise, negotiate and distribute high margin cocaine online. The battle is in the air and not on foot.

Anyway I digress. Yes, horrific timing and a shame as the lad has some ability. We can only await the outcome.