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Knights knew about Joey's habit
By Dean Ritchie
August 31, 2007 ANDREW Johns said last night that the Newcastle club and its players knew about his drug taking.
The revelations from the rugby league player of his generation continued on Channel 9 as he described his 12 years of drug use.
"I know I'll never go near it again," he said.
His most stunning claim was that his club knew about his habits.
Earlier, NRL chief executive David Gallop said there was no reason to believe anyone had ever covered up for the former Australia captain.
Asked on The Footy Show if his family knew about his drug use, Johns said: "Yeah, I think so."
Johns was then asked if his club knew.
"I'd say so, on occasions," he said.
And his teammates?
"Yeah."
During a lengthy interview, the double Golden Boot winner also revealed for the first time that he took prescription drugs for depression.
"I sort of have for the last five years or so ... pretty constantly," he told interviewer Phil Gould.
"I didn't want to take it. It was because it stabilised me and took away these incredible highs I got on.
"But invariably after the highs I'd crash to lows where I wouldn't leave the house for four days.
"It contributed to the way I behaved. It could be a matter of days. One minute I could be literally willing to take the world on and that's when I was at my creative best, when I was playing.
"Then one day I could turn up on the field and I wouldn't want to talk to anybody."
Johns said he took drugs during the season "only a couple of times".
"There were times when I would be playing the biggest games of the season and it would be in the back of my mind," he admitted.
NRL records show that Johns was tested 17 times since 1998. Johns estimated "two or three times a year".
"I felt like I was on the borderline, maybe I could go positive, maybe I could go negative," he said.
"I've had so many close calls.
"It's incredibly selfish behaviour when you think about it.
"Drugs ... have destroyed the great times in my life."
Johns declined to say whether he knew of other players with similar habits.
"I don't know and I don't want to answer," he said.
"I'm here to talk about me ... you can't tar everyone with the same brush."
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,22337913-23214,00.html