Jose Baxter, a professional footballer for the League One side Sheffield United, has been found guilty of failing a drugs test despite maintaining that he engaged in no wrongdoing involving any banned substance knowingly. Baxter was found to have traces of a banned substance in his sample following a routine Football Association out of competition drug test in May.

Baxter was given a five-month ban for the failed drugs test, but the remaining three-months have been suspended for two years. Baxter was initially suspended by Sheffield United in May immediately following the failed drugs test; established club policy required that Sheffield ‘temporarily suspend the player pending further findings.’ Baxter missed the club’s League One play-off semi-final defeat against Swindon Town as a result. At the time Sheffield said that it had taken that step ‘without prejudice to the player’s claim of no wrongdoing.’ As a result Baxter has already served the two-month outright ban and will be available to play during pre-season and for Sheffield’s first league game against Gillingham on 8^th August.

Baxter was found guilty at a Football Association personal hearing last week, where he was accompanied and supported by the new Sheffield United manager Nigel Adkins. Adkins said that Baxter had been ‘training with us full-on’ and that his attitude had been ‘spot on’. Adkins said that the club was there to support and to educate, but that discipline was very important to the club and that ‘all the players need to understand they’re role models moving forward.’

The Daily Mail reported that the traces of banned substance found in his system were those of ecstasy and that Baxter had claimed that this was as a result of his drink being spiked.