Disgraced Australia winger Wendell Sailor has spoken publicly for the first time since starting his two-year ban from rugby for testing positive for cocaine.
Sailor's Australian Rugby Union (ARU) central contract was terminated on Friday, but he insisted in a column in Sydney's Sunday Telegraph newspaper that he is not a drug cheat.
He also stated that he does not condone the use of drugs and explained how difficult the affair has been for him and his family.
'Right now, I'm gutted. It's going to take a couple of days to get my head around this, but I know one thing for certain - I am not a drug cheat,' wrote Sailor.
'I'd be disappointed if people thought of me like that, and I'd be disappointed if people were to put me in the same category as a guy like Ben Johnson (the former Canadian sprinter who was stripped of a gold medal in the 100m after testing positive to steroids at the 1988 Seoul Olympics).
'As a husband, father and a role model, I realise I have let plenty of people down, including myself. This was stupidity more than anything - and I would never condone the use of recreational drugs.
'The hardest thing has been having to deal with the media intrusion on me and my family.
'As for my penalty, I think it's grossly unfair,' wrote Sailor.
'I'm not playing the victim. I'm the first to admit I've made a mistake. But to get two years leaves a bitter taste in my mouth because I am not a drug cheat.'
