Rugby League player Jake Maizen has received a three-month ban from all World Anti-Doping Code-compliant sport following an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) for the Presence of the Prohibited Substance cocaine and benzoylecgonine, a Metabolite of cocaine. At the time of this announcement, the ban has been served and Mr Maizen is free to resume participation in sport.
On Sunday 28 July 2024, UKAD collected a urine Sample from Mr Maizen, In-Competition, at a match between Sheffield Eagles RFLC and Whitehaven RFLC. Analysis of Mr Maizen’s urine Sample returned Adverse Analytical Findings (AAFs) for cocaine and benzoylecgonine.
Cocaine is a non-Specified Substance that is prohibited In-Competition only and is referred to as a ‘Substance of Abuse’ on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List. Shorter bans of three months are available for Substances of Abuse if an Athlete establishes that their ingestion took place Out-of-Competition and in a context unrelated to sport performance.
Mr Maizen was formally notified by UKAD that he may have committed ADRVs for the Presence and Use of a Prohibited Substance and was provisionally suspended at the same time. In response, Mr Maizen explained that he had ingested 0.3 grams of cocaine, Out-of-Competition, on the evening of Friday 26 July 2024.
UKAD sought the opinion of an independent scientific expert in respect of Mr Maizen’s explanation. The expert concluded that “an impossibly large amount of cocaine” would had to have been ingested by Mr Maizen on this date and time to explain the level of cocaine found in his urine Sample.
UKAD subsequently charged Mr Maizen with ADRVs for the Presence and Use of a Prohibited Substance. In response, Mr Maizen amended his original explanation, stating he had ingested approximately 1 gram of cocaine, Out-of-Competition, on the evening of Friday 26 July 2024. UKAD referred this new information to the same scientific expert, who maintained their earlier conclusion.
Mr Maizen admitted the ADRV for Presence of a Prohibited Substance but denied the ADRV for Use of a Prohibited Substance (on the basis of his assertion that his Use of cocaine took place Out-of-Competition). The matter was referred to the independent National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) for adjudication.
An NADP Tribunal convened on 11 April 2025. After hearing evidence from both parties the Tribunal concluded that, in addition to the 1 gram of cocaine Mr Maizen admitted to ingesting in the evening of Friday 26 July 2024, Mr Maizen also inadvertently ingested a small amount of cocaine through environmental exposure, Out-of-Competition, on Saturday 27 July 2024.
The Tribunal therefore dismissed the ADRV for Use of a Prohibited Substance since cocaine is prohibited In-Competition only. In respect of the ADRV for Presence of a Prohibited Substance, the Tribunal accepted that Mr Maizen’s ingestion took place Out-of-Competition and in a context unrelated to sport performance.
The Tribunal issued Mr Maizen with a three-month Period of Ineligibility, deemed to have commenced on 22 August 2024 (affording him credit for the Provisional Suspension served), meaning he is now free to resume participation in sport.
