Former Bond University rugby captain Tai Ford banned for four years for failed drugs test

The once-promising rugby career of a former Bond University captain is in tatters as details of a four-year ban for a failed drugs test come to light.

THE once-promising rugby career of former Bond University captain Tai Ford is in tatters as details of his four-year ban for a failed drugs test come to light.

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A scandal Rugby Australia has done its best to keep under wraps was finally exposed on Monday when the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority released a statement acknowledging the four-year suspension given to Ford by the code’s governing body.

A one-time Super Rugby hopeful, the ex-Queensland Country and Bond Premier Rugby back-rower will be sidelined until September 2022 after returning an “Adverse Analytical Finding” from an out-of-competition doping test on June 27 last year.

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An analysis of the 29-year-old’s sample detected the presence of five “anabolic agents” banned under the World Anti-Doping Code’s 2018 Prohibited List, with RA’s Anti-Doping Judicial Panel imposing a suspension on Ford beginning on September 13 last year.

Tai Ford in action for Queensland Premier Rugby club Bond University. Picture: Stephen Tremain

While Ford today declined the chance to comment when contacted by the Bulletin, the Bullsharks chose to break their silence after being instructed by RA to keep quiet on the situation since it arose last year.

“The integrity of rugby is central to the ethos of our club and as such, we were very disappointed that one of our former players returned an adverse finding to an ASADA anti-doping test,” club president Dr Manny Pohl said.

“We were particularly disappointed with Tai as he was our captain back in 2018. In this role he was expected to uphold the values of the club and be a role model for the younger members of the club.

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“We felt very let down by Tai’s poor choices. As a result, the club stripped him of his captaincy at the time and decided it would not recognise his playing awards.

“We offered him counselling and support but he did not take up this offer. We will continue to reinforce and educate players and coaches about clean sport and anti-doping policies.”

A personal trainer, Ford was crowned Bond’s best and fairest in 2016, making his NRC debut for Queensland Country the following year before being handed the Bullsharks’ Premier Rugby captaincy for the 2018 season.

Ford has been suspended until September 2022.

“The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) today acknowledged the decision of Rugby Australia’s Anti-Doping Judicial Panel to impose a four-year ban on athlete Tainui Ford for the presence of prohibited substances and their metabolites and the use of prohibited substances,” Monday’s ASADA statement read.

“Mr Ford returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) from an out-of-competition doping control test on 27 June 2018. His sample was analysed at the Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory, part of the National Measurement Institute, which detected the presence of Prohibited Substances and the metabolites of prohibited substances.”

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The statement said 19-Norandrosterone, Methandienone, Mestanolone, Oxandrolone and 17a-Trenbolone were among the prohibited substances found in Ford’s sample.

19-Norandrosterone is a metabolite of Nandrolone, a prescription-only steroid sold as a treatment for conditions such as acute renal failure, inoperable mammary carcinoma, osteoporosis and aplastic anaemia.