Martin Kennedy will be hoping to avoid the same quagmire that has enveloped Sandor Earl as the Sydney Roosters’ prop shapes to challenge drug allegations against him.
Kennedy on Wednesday was issued with an infraction notice by the NRL, alleging “the possession and attempted use of banned substances”.
He has until Friday morning to make an initial reply to the allegations, before facing the NRL’s anti-doping tribunal.
If found guilty, Kennedy faces a two-year ban from rugby league.
Former Roosters, Canberra and Penrith outside back Earl was issued with an infraction notice in August 2013 following his admission to the use and trafficking of peptide CJC-1295.
Earl accepted the immediate provisional suspension, but has still not appeared before a tribunal 19 months later.
Kennedy’s legal representative Tim Unsworth, who is also Earl’s lawyer, wouldn’t comment on Thursday, nor would his manager Sam Ayoub or Roosters officials.
The NRL has only confirmed Kennedy has been given until Friday morning to voluntarily stand down, for face a provisional suspension from the league.
“A decision in relation to the possible suspension of Mr Kennedy is expected on Friday morning,” a NRL spokesman told AAP.
However, it is understood Kennedy will challenge the allegations against him.
The 82-match NRL forward was hit with the infraction notice, reportedly after a year-long fight over the legality of a show-cause notice was turned down by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Kennedy was caught up in the same ASADA investigation that nabbed Earl, focusing on their activities in 2013, in Kennedy’s first stint at the Roosters.
The former Queensland State of Origin reserve moved to Brisbane last year, before returning to the Roosters ahead of the 2015 season.
Brisbane boss Paul White has said the Broncos’ decision to release the 26-year-old Kennedy was purely football-related, with Roosters CEO Brian Canavan asserting the eastern suburbs-based club had no knowledge of an ASADA case against Kennedy until news broke of the infraction notice on Wednesday.
