James Segeyaro ‘feels like drowning’ as he waits for outcome of Asada drug investigation
Five months after he first tested positive to a banned substance, James Segeyaro is still waiting for Asada to finish their investigation into a protein shake in a blender that has left his NRL career in limbo.
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The sharing of a housemate’s kitchen blender and Asada’s lengthy investigation has left NRL star James Segeyaro feeling like his world is caving in.
In his only interview, Segeyaro has launched a detailed defence of how he tested positive to di-hydroxy LGD-4033, a substance banned by the NRL and the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA).
Segeyaro says upon his mid-season switch from the Sharks last May, he had been roomed with the 29-year-old Brisbane man by the Broncos.
The Brisbane man has provided a statutory declaration to Asada investigators stating that he had purchased the supplement, which isn’t illegal.
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An emotional Segeyaro says he “feels like he’s drowning” due to Asada’s inability to conclude his case five months after he first tested positive to the banned substance.
“I just don’t understand why they’re (Asada) taking so long to come up with a decision because it’s pushed me into a corner really,’’ the former Brisbane Broncos hooker told The Sunday Telegraph.
“How am I meant to get on with my life?
“I thought it was a black-and-white case, particularly after the second interview with my roommate, who explained the substance was his and for his use only – I don’t understand what they also need to look at.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning and they (Asada) are watching me drown.
“I’m a human being. Does it really take five months to get any sort of clarification of what my life may look like going forward?”
The Sunday Telegraph contacted ASADA but due to the ongoing investigation weren’t in a position to comment.
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THE PHONE CALL
Segeyaro says he was in Jordan on an end-of-season holiday through Saudi Arabia with fellow NRL players Corey Norman and Matt Moylan when his phone rang with an Australian number.
“The person on the end of the line introduced himself as an Asada investigator and then began to tell me my A sample had come back positive to a banned substance – I nearly fainted,’’ Segeyaro said.
“I was gobsmacked. I then asked so many questions like, how is it consumed, it is a tablet, is it in powder form.
“He said to me there’s someone that has also been done in Australia with the same substance and her name is Shayna Jack (Australian swimmer) – I’ve got to admit, I hadn’t heard of Shayna’s situation.
“I had to Google her to understand who she was. He then told me I would be required for interview as part of the investigation.’’
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THE INTERVIEW
Segeyaro said he had nothing to hide and felt relaxed – which is why he wore casual clothes including an AC/DC T-shirt – when he arrived alongside sports lawyer Tim Fuller for his interview with Asada investigators on November 7.
The interview process took almost four hours, including an offer, Segeyaro claims, by the investigators to cut a deal if the former Cowboys, Panthers, Sharks and Broncos hooker exposed other players or clubs who had used the substance.
“They must have thought this was something more than what it was,’’ Segeyaro said.
Segeyaro says the meeting came to an abrupt pause when the housemate’s written statement was presented by Fuller.
“About a week after the news broke he (roommate) called me and was just saying ‘sorry, sorry … I bought it, I put it in the blender for my protein shakes.
“He had purchased it a month before I had arrived at the house.
“I didn’t drink his shakes, I drank mine. But every time I drank my shake I rinsed it out with water, as most people do.
“I didn’t think of stripping the blender apart to clean it because I wasn’t to know every ingredient he was putting into his shake – you rinse the thing out and you think, its clean, don’t you?
“I could’ve got angry at him (roommate), but I thought what’s the point in getting angry at him – it’s not illegal for him, he’s just taking protein as part of his training.’’
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WAITING GAME
Segeyaro, who is facing a four-year ban, says he has had virtually no correspondence from the NRL or Asada since his interview last year and the uncertainty is eating away at both he and his supportive wife Saryne and his family, and his financial capabilities.
When there is work available he has been working as a concreter and in a bid to cover his legal fees and simply pay his bills, Segeyaro is preparing to sell his $600,000 “dream” home in Cairns.
“I could understand that during the Christmas period that everyone goes on a two-week break, but after Christmas I thought I could at least get some clarity on where I’m at,’’ Segeyaro said.
“That it could be, another month, or two months, or three months … whatever it is.
“But if I was to open up a business I can’t do anything because this is just lingering over my head.
“I can’t do anything as an NRL footballer because under the terms of the breach I’m not allowed too – I’m prohibited from making an income if I was to give someone a one-on-one training session or host clinics.
“I don’t know if Asada understands the financial pressure that these situations create on individuals.
“If I have done something wrong I would put my hand up straight away. I wouldn’t be here talking to you now because I would’ve known that I stuffed up.
‘’Everyone who knows me knows how I know I am about what I put into my body.
“It’s a lonely place. It’s like an overwhelming feeling that the whole world is caving in. You feel upset and you ask why you feel like a useless. Why?
“You go from an environment where you feel appreciated and you feel like you’re contributing to the community and then and then suddenly you do a 180 and you feel like a burden to everyone else.’’