He was named in the scandal, went to court for it, and was cleared, but questions about drugs are continually asked, and Chris Houston is having none of it.
As he looks to rebuild his career after re-signing with the Newcastle Knights, life was anything but rosy for the forward who was the 18th man during the Kangaroos 2009 tour.
Faced with three charges of supplying ecstasy and one of supplying cocaine, he had the charges dismissed in the Newcastle Local Court, as a result of insufficient evidence.
Houston, has rejoined his team-mates, many of them his former team-mates at training, after the Knights came back from their Christmas break.
Whilst Houston is more than willing to discuss the future of his career and the Knights, he refuses to discuss any semblance to do with the drug charge, or is March 1 arrest.
‘I don’t want to talk about any legal stuff,” he said. ”
“I will talk about anything to do with football and the club but not that.”
”I’m not really worried about the past, to be honest,” he said. ”I feel sorry for my parents, copping what they had to cop, living back down the [south] coast. But they knew how I felt, and we are a pretty tight family.”
Houston was welcomed back with open arms to the Newcastle club, and Knights captain Kurt Gidley said that the club are glad to have him back.
‘I have obviously been pretty tight with ‘Houso’ ever since he came to Newcastle and have supported him through everything over the past 12 months,” Gidley said.
”It is great to see him back. When he left we lost leadership. He was one of our best players, and the mateship he had within the team was great.”
Houston was admittedly nervous, as he looks forward to the future and getting back into the swing of things with the Knights, after missing the 2010 season as a result of the drug charge.
”It was like my first day at school,” he said. ”
“But that sort of got squashed straight away being back with the same group of guys and the way I was welcomed back.”
Despite his previous alleged drug use, hence the charges, Knights CEO Steve Burraston strenuously denies that Houston will be subject to preferential drug treatment, as he maintains that the Knights have the toughest drug policy in the NRL.
”Chris has been through the system,” Burraston said. ”He has been found an innocent person, and we have him back playing footy now.
”We have the most rigorous testing procedures in the league, probably in Australian sport, and there will be no need to do anything extra.
”As far as Chris, they found there wasn’t evidence to take him to court. If there is no evidence that is enough for me to say it’s not there.”