Former Southport and Salford City player Mike Phenix has been banned from all football and football-related activity for four years after a failed drugs test.
His sample tested positively for Oxandrolone, an anabolic steroid, and Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine on September the 17th last year.
A report read how he took steroids to prevent weight loss caused by Crohn’s disease, something he’s openly spoken about having.
The report states: “A friend provided him with steroids to help him to regain weight but he ceased taking the steroids because of unpleasant side effects and in any event they did not increase his weight.
“He confirms that this was the source of the Oxandrolone. On Saturday 15 September 2018 Mr Phenix was feeling despondent as a result of this and whilst he was out he took cocaine to try to lift his mood.”
In another interview, Phenix told the Football Association he had 15 pints of beer on the night he took cocaine, a drug the player has had a long-running problem with according to Billie Andrews of the Sporting Chance clinic.
Andrews added that Phenix “is reconnecting with his values of being honest, trustworthy, loyal, caring and happy”.
UKAD’s report: “He explained that he only took them only because he was very concerned about his appearance as a result of losing excessive amounts of weight as a result of Crohn’s disease with which he has suffered most of his life.
“He was also concerned that he felt weak although he rejected any suggestion this feeling of weakness was an issue when he played football.
“He candidly admitted that he has used cocaine for many years. All of this took place against a backdrop of personal problems including personal tragedy from an early age.”
Southport terminated his contract in October with Zac Corbett, only months after Phenix re-joined them from Salford.
The club said: “The club has co-operated fully with the relevant authorities regarding separate yet equally serious issues that involve the two players and having a zero tolerance policy towards such issues, there was no other option than to part company.”
Phenix took to Twitter shortly after a hearing in March to announce his retirement from the game.
He posted: “Is now officially a retired sh*te footballer.. Made a mistake and paid for it in the biggest way. I want to say thank you to everyone who was part of it.. Had the best laughs and met some of the best people. Enjoy every minute of it and don’t moan like I did”
UKAD’s Chief Executive, Nicole Sapstead, said: “All athletes must be aware of the principle of strict liability – they are solely responsible for any substances found in their system.
“Ignorance is not an acceptable defence and equally, should an athlete be suffering with a medical condition, they should seek professional advice or speak to UKAD about the possibility of receiving a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).”
His suspension from football will run until 16 September 2022.
After the news on former Southport and Salford player Mike Phenix getting banned from all football and football-related activity for four years, fans took to give their reaction on Twitter – check out those tweets on the next page.
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