Wests Tigers chairman and principal at Brydens Lawyers, Lee Hagipantelis, has dismissed claims that the NRL could introduce a targeted drug testing policy in the wake of the Kalyn Ponga and Kurt Mann scandal.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Tuesday that the NRL has re-opened their plans to introduce a hair-follicle test for players under the illicit drugs policy. Hair testing provides greater results than a urine sample as illicit substances can be detected months afterwards.
Hagipantelis said the targeted testing policy would never come into effect in the NRL due to an outcry from the Rugby League Players’ Association (RLPA) and whether it satisfies all the legal parameters.
“The RLPA will have something to say about that,” Hagipantelis said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“There is a presumption of innocence and a person doesn’t have to prove they are innocent.
“They don’t have to have a drug test to show they weren’t under the influence at the time.
“The RLPA have drafted a policy and it is signed off by the NRL and agreed to about random drug testing.
“It is very strictly adhered to and there is no permissible targeting of players without their consent.
“The suggestion these people (Mann and Ponga) now subject themselves to testing to verify the story will not proceed.”
Mann and Ponga were filmed leaving a toilet cubicle together at a pub in Newcastle over the weekend which has led many to speculate what was occurring and what their respective punishments should be.
However, Hagipantelis argued that the individual responsible for filming and distributing should face harsher penalties than either Mann or Ponga.
“Of all the things depicted on that video, the person taping the video is at most jeopardy,” Hagipantelis continued.
“People have an expectation of privacy in the bathroom (and) the filming of someone without consent in that private space can be a criminal offence.
“That person has got more to worry about.”