According to the anti-doping code, a governing body must tell Ukad immediately if it "learns of information suggesting or relating in any way to an apparent anti-doping rule violation by an athlete or athlete support personnel under its jurisdiction." The RFL says because the supplement was only prohibited in-competition it had "no requirement" to tell Ukad. If the players stopped taking it on the Friday it would be out of their system by matchday on Sunday. In the aftermath, Hull players were to admit taking it on matchdays.
That Friday, Rosewarne took more calls from Rule. The source was established as Oxyelite Pro. Rule told Rosewarne, as she testified, "it had been brought into the squad originally by Sean Long". Rimmer was also told that Long had given it to Gleeson.
The following morning Rule produced statements from Gleeson, Cooper and himself in an attempt to have Gleeson's provisional suspension lifted and allow him to play in the derby. Long was not mentioned. Rule emailed the statements to Rosewarne. The absence of any mention of Long did not appear to concern her. "I didn't think it was relevant," she said. The suspension was lifted.
The statements resulted from a meeting on Saturday morning in Rule's office, attended by Gleeson, Long, coach Richard Agar and Cooper. There are differing versions as to what happened, how long it lasted and who was there for how long. Long and Gleeson say all five were there for its 15-minute entirety. "We were told that whatever was discussed was to stay within those four walls," Long said.
The two players, according to their interviews, objected to Rule's proposed lie, the fact of you taking them on game day."
Ukad spent the next few months conducting extensive interviews. There are some peculiar replies from RFL officials. Rosewarne, in discussing how Hull would pick their squad for the derby with the issue of Gleeson's suspension hanging over the player, said "until that stage it wasn't going to be my problem because I'd be in the air [flying to Australia] by then". Rimmer admitted that the RFL did nothing to look into Gleeson and Long's claims when they emerged because of the two players "credibility". Hardman was told by Gleeson "a lot of the first-team lads" took the supplement. Hardman said he had a relaxed feeling about the first case and did not expect Ukad to push hard.
On 11 October Rule was charged by Ukad with violating anti-doping rules. On the same day Hull announced he had resigned because he had "decided to move on". Rule did not contest the charge. On 28 December Ukad announced Rule and Cooper had become the first off-field personnel to be banned for a drug offence. Both were given two year bans, Cooper's halved for co-operating. Gleeson was given a three-year ban, reduced to 18 months for blowing the whistle.
The RFL told The Independent it has conducted a "full review of its procedures" and made some "operational changes" but is "completely satisfied our officers acted entirely appropriately throughout, a view shared by Ukad, whose exhaustive independent investigation and subsequent review involving two independent legal firms found that the RFL officers had no case to answer".
Fitzgibbon, in an interview with Ukad in which he expressed his horror at the thought he had taken a banned substance, said: "I knew it wasn't all above board but it was, sort of... don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to."
