I think the answer to why Hull went to the extent they did is answered in your second paragraph. The report seems to suggest without specifying an actual name who asked, that the player (Long ?) was told by the conditioner the product was ok to use and this incorrect information was passed on to Gleeson (silly boy should have checked himself). Was Rule trying to cover up for the player, cover up the clubs poor signing and saving face, covering up incompetency of club staff in not carrying out a thorough check on the product, or all of the above ?
(unless you were just asking where Long obtained the product and i read your question wrong

if so maybe the shop in Wigan Gleeson originaly said he bought it?)
I also found it interesting how in Hull's official statement aside from distancing themselves as far from the old regime as possible, they seem to also make a swipe directed not just at the player and Rule but at the former chairwoman.

Agar masterminded the whole thing, along with the The Brink's-MAT robbery as well.

I get that, but IMO these are the two great taboos of sport. Perhaps the law is wrong?

In law I believe being in posession of drugs is unlawful, taking them isn't. Maybe Slugger could clarify? Obviously you'd have to be in posession of the drug to take it in the first place but don't know how that would work

Pisspoor attempt again, no where in that article does it say or suggest that Kath Hetherington knew about the drug taking or that she was involved in the following cover up. What it suggests is that during negotiations to buy the club the new owners weren't made aware of the impending investigation.

What is notable from that Hull FC statement is that Richard Agar isn't mentioned or implicated whatsoever in any way.

So now we have the UKADA documents, the SKY article and the Hull FC statement none of which intimates in any way shape or form that Richard Agar was implicated, yet you still want to have a Snyde dig!

That would be correct - in either case only Long and Gleeson were in posession (conditioner may not have touched it), and more importantly this is not a drug/substance regulated by English law, only banned by a governing body/organisation otherwise you couldn't legally buy/sell it.

The law has always been wrong as far as drugs are concerned - in my opinion ! but we may be on opposite ends of the scale as to were we stand on this one for various reason, and after reading many of your posts this is not some thing we often are, aside the teams we support

.

if I'm not mistaken what makes it worse that if he had trained harder and controlled his diet better he wouldn't of been that situation to take the said substance

let that be a lesson learned to all young future players

Gleeson possibly looking at suing Hull FC according to this

[urlhttp://www.dailystar.co.uk/rugby/view/227619/Martin-Gleeson-rocked-by-3-year-drug-ban/[/url

Click on proceed to article.

Difficult to see on what grounds - he not only didn't get clearance from the conditioner (that was another player/Long) he took Longs word for it that substance was ok to use, this he confirmed in his revised statement to UKAD, along with the fact that ultimately it is down to the individual player who consumes said substance to take full responsibillity for what he swallows. I do feel he has been nieve and paid the price, he will not be the first ot last - maybe the games governing body and clubs needs to change the current proceedure of how medication and suppliments are given to players ?

If we are talking inconsistency...

It's now nearly 3 years ago since the Drug Testing people turned up on mass at BV and Castleford. This led to the conviction or stitch up as some suggest of Terry Newton for the use of growth hormones.

The inconsistency is not his ban but the fact that as far as I'm aware this mass testing has never been repeated, certainly not at any of the "big" clubs.

Considering it in part cost a man his life and what he had left of his career the fact that since then no one else has been caught stinks. Now we are bing fobbed of with a few nobodies and a geriatric and broken centre. The stench gets ever stronger.

Hock took a genuinely illegal substance so he doesn't count. However until players at the peak of their careers are being found out then there will always be a lack of credibility because mark my words some of them are at it.