Reds captain unaware of banned Slipper's drug habit
Reds captain Scott Higginbotham has admitted he was unaware of teammate James Slipper's drug-related problems.
It was announced Thursday that the Queensland and Wallabies veteran had been issued a two-month ban and $27,500 fine from Rugby Australia after testing positive to cocaine twice this year.
Higginbotham said that while he knew of the prop’s mental health struggles, he had no idea about his drug habit.
“I’m sad for him; being a mate, what he’s been going through outside of football is not something you want to see,” Higginbotham told Fox Sports.
“You think you’re a close enough mate that he’d explain to you and tell you everything.
“But that’s the circumstances; he’s a cagey sort of person, likes to keep things to himself, keep them on the inside and we didn’t have any idea.”
Higginbotham denied a drug issue at the club. Slipper's suspension comes just months after fellow Red and Wallaby Karmichael Hunt pleaded guilty to Xanax possession after avoiding a cocaine possession charge.
“It’s not concerning... every person’s different aren’t they,” Higginbotham said.
Slipper is off contract at the end of the season. Higginbotham said would like to see him back on the field eventually.
“You want the best thing for him; first and foremost he has to get himself right mentally, sort out these off-field issues,” he said.
“Once he’s done that and ready, that’s when he’ll play.”
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So you have to be an international coach to have an opinion on rugby?
Go to commentsThere is a lot of this being said at the moment but Marcus Smith did miss a couple of drop goals of his own in the first half. Everything is in hindsight and you’d also need to be a brave coach to not make use of your bench replacements in a test.
NZ tried to resist making replacements in the second test against the Boks this year, and fatigued players just ended up making uncharacteristic errors at the end of the match.
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