Former Cronulla Sharks player Bronson Xerri has been suspended for four years by the National Rugby League Anti-Doping Tribunal.
Key points:
- Bronson Xerri tested positive in November 2019 and has not played NRL since
- The ban is backdated to the time of the original positive test, meaning he will be eligible to play again in 2023
- Xerri tested positive at the end of his rookie year with the Cronulla Sharks
Xerri tested positive to testosterone in November 2019 and he has not played an NRL game since.
“The tribunal found that Mr Xerri intentionally took testosterone in late 2019 knowing that the substance was either banned or that there was a serious risk that it was banned,” an NRL statement read.
“The tribunal also found that Mr Xerri’s actions were, on his own evidence, at best grossly negligent. The sanction imposed is the presumptive four-year ban for the use of serious performance-enhancing substances.”
His suspension will expire in November 2023, four years after he first tested positive.
The 20-year-old centre missed the first two rounds of the 2020 season and his positive test was revealed on May 26, 2020, just two days before the season resumed after the coronavirus shutdown.
Xerri played 22 games for the Sharks in his rookie season in 2019.
