FORMER York Knights winger David Foggin-Johnston has been banned from all sport for two years following Anti-Doping Rule Violations for the presence and use of cocaine.

Foggin-Johnston, who scored 15 tries in 19 appearances for the Knights in 2017, has been suspended until October 2025, following a positive test after a fixture last August.

Cocaine is a non-specified substance that is prohibited In-competition only. Foggin-Johnston admitted the rule violations but stressed that he used cocaine out-of-competition.

He was charged by UK Anti-Doping, who determined that his use of cocaine occurred In-competition, with the case then referred to the National Anti-Doping Panel.

The matter was heard before tribunal on July 16, where it was ruled that Foggin-Johnston’s use of cocaine occurred In-Competition. However, the tribunal ruled that it was ‘recreational and unrelated to sport performance’, imposing a two-year suspension.

Entitled to credit for the time that he spent provisionally suspended, his ban is deemed to have commenced on October 11 last year, meaning he will be eligible to return to rugby league on October 10, 2025.

Foggin-Johnston was the club's joint top-scorer in his sole season.Foggin-Johnston was the club's joint top-scorer in his sole season. (Image: Gordon Clayton)

Foggin-Johnston was York’s top-scorer alongside Joe Batchelor in his sole season at Bootham Crescent, his tries including a memorable hat-trick against Toronto, and four the following week against Hemel.

However, he was one of eight players to depart the club at the end of the season, with then-boss James Ford citing the winger’s work commitments as a deciding factor.

Following his time at York, Foggin-Johnston joined Hunslet, then spending five seasons with Bradford Bulls. He moved to Keighley Cougars at the end of last season, but due to his suspension, he is yet to feature for the League One club.

In a statement, Keighley Cougars said: “We must remember that there is a person behind this decision and we have worked closely with Dee during this process to protect his mental health and his new family.

“We must remember this is an incident that occurred before Dee was a Keighley Cougars player.

“We would ask that people remain vigilant in their public comments. Everyone makes mistakes and we are confident Dee will learn from this and work towards rebuilding his career when he is able to do so.”

He is the second former Knight to have received a suspension from UKAD over the last 12 months, with Harry Tyson-Wilson, who also featured for the club in 2017, banned from all sport for three years after steroid use.