Parramatta co-captain Tim Mannah has expressed his family’s disappointment at reports linking his late brother Jon’s cancer battle with alleged peptide use at Cronulla NRL club.

Tim said in a statement on Friday that his brother would never have knowingly taken a banned substance.

Jon died from Hodgkin’s lymphoma earlier this year, aged 23.

He had recovered from a first bout of the lymphoma in 2009 to play the first five NRL matches of 2011.

News Ltd newspapers on Friday published a leaked extract from an independent report commissioned by the Cronulla club into alleged use of peptides in the club’s supplements program in 2011.

It questioned whether Jon Mannah’s cancer relapse could be linked to peptide use.

In a statement issued by the Eels, Tim Mannah said his brother’s integrity spoke for itself.

“On behalf of my family, I would like to say how disappointed we all are by the reports that have been published today,” the statement read.

“My brother Johnny was a wonderful man and never, ever would have knowingly consented to taking a banned substance.

“In fact, he was very careful about everything he did that may affect his health.

“Johnny’s integrity in the way he lived his life speaks for itself.

“We have no need to defend that.”