England international Michael Lipman and two teammates resigned from Bath rugby club on Monday shortly before they were to attend an internal disciplinary hearing over alleged missed drugs tests.
Bath said Lipman, Alex Crockett and Andrew Higgins had left the club. The players later released a statement denying they had ever missed an anti-doping test.
In a statement released through their solicitor the three players said their positions at the club had become untenable.
“We have made every effort to work with the club to resolve our differences. Sadly, we have been unable to do so,” it said.
“It has been suggested in sections of the media that we have refused to provide samples for anti-doping purposes, but this is untrue. Anonymous sources have also made allegations against us to the club. We completely refute these allegations, which are both false and defamatory,” it said.
“We believe that these scurrilous and unsubstantiated allegations are not only proving to be damaging to our own careers but to rugby as a whole,” it said.
Reports last month claimed that Bath players had been involved in a fight with rival players from Harlequins at a pub in London on May 10.
The stories also suggested there had been drug-taking at the end of season party.
Bath launched an investigation and Lipman, Crockett and Higgins were due to appear at a hearing into the incident, but quit before the hearing could take place.
Bob Calleja, the club’s CEO, said in a statement: “Michael Lipman, Alex Crockett and Andrew Higgins had been required to appear at an internal disciplinary hearing today to address the failure on three occasions to take a drugs test following allegations surrounding player conduct on Sunday May 10.”
“Immediately before the hearings were due to take place the players resigned from the club with immediate effect,” he said.
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