GRADY BANNED BUT RAIDERS SLAMMED

He described: “Receiving no support from the club, with the head coach being abusive towards him and others. Medical care was very limited and provided in the main by physiotherapists from a local college. This had to be booked along with other members of the public. There was no club Doctor.

Travel to games was often lengthy and was not planned. The team travelled in an old coach and often there were no stops during the journey. 

His pay was on often received late and all was sent home to his family. He had no money to spend in the UK and felt isolated. He was living in a modest hotel room and spent most of the day there when not training. He described hating playing for the club and being very down and lonely.

Shortly before the day in question he had been told that his grandmother needed cancer-related surgery for a second time. His evidence in this regard was as follows:

“Before the game I spoke to my gran and she said she had to have brain surgery and it broke me down. I couldn’t focus on basketball with thinking that I couldn’t help my family. I’m in UK and they are in US. It was hard to think when she is calling me crying.”

Having returned his AAF (adverse test finding), the Athlete had quickly been sent back to the US by his club, without first being paid the wages that he was owed. That pay was subsequently sent to his agent who retained the vast majority of it, ultimately only passing on a few hundred dollars to the Athlete.

He felt he had been very badly treated by his agent in general. In relation to the ADRV his agent had told him that he would receive a slap on the wrist, or perhaps a suspension of up to 6 months at worst. He described his agent as an “aggressive talker”. He had initially followed his advice in relation to the ADRV and now regretted doing so.”