Speculation over fallen Mannah leaves family, friends simmering
Date
April 26, 2013 - 7:13PM
Brad Walter
Chief Rugby League Writer
Parramatta players were so furious at speculation linking the recurrence of Jon Mannah's Hodgkin's lymphoma with a supplements program at Cronulla in 2011 they demanded the club issue a statement on their behalf.
Eels co-captain Tim Mannah had earlier issued a statement expressing his family's "disappointment" at reports of the link. Fairfax Media was told their mother, Abir, had been in tears on Friday.
After Tim completed training, the deeply religious family collected their thoughts and made a statement but his teammates were still simmering and discussed a media boycott.
Sources close to Mannah told Fairfax Media that to the best of their knowledge, there was no evidence Mannah had taken CJC-1295 and GHRP-6 while at Cronulla and said he was unlikely to have taken any substance without consulting a specialist after initially being diagnosed with the form of cancer in 2009.
A report prepared by a lawyer asked to assess the legal exposure the Sharks could face from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority investigation merely stated that Mannah was in the top squad during the 12-week period that players were allegedly administered with the peptides.
Noting that a "brief review of available published medical literature suggests an identified causal link between the use of substances such as CJC-1295 and GHRP-6 and the acceleration of the condition of disease Hodgkin's lymphoma", the report said "the issue of Mannah has the potential to be as serious as matters could get".
"The real question should be who leaked this and what was their motive," one official said. Many people in league circles have their theories on who was responsible but most of venom was directed at News Ltd for reporting the link in the Sharks report. A statement issued on behalf of the Parramatta players said: "In all parts of life there are boundaries, lines in the sand that everyone understands. It is our belief that the Daily Telegraphtoday crossed that line. To put the Mannah family through what they have in the last 24 hours is an absolute disgrace and those responsible should be ashamed of themselves.
"We as a playing group will be rallying around Timmy, his family and [trainer] Trent Elkin. They are our teammates, our family and this will only make our bonds stronger."
The club and the Mannah family also offered their support for Elkin, who joined Parramatta this season from the Sharks.
"Trent has had a long and trusted relationship with me, my brother and our family and what has transpired over the last day has not changed that," Mannah said. "We know Trent does not condone the use of illegal substances and would have never knowingly done anything that would cause one of his players or Jon for that matter harm.
"On behalf of my family I would like to say how disappointed we all are by the reports that have been published today. My brother Johnny was a wonderful man and never ever would have knowingly consented to taking a banned substance. In fact, he was very careful about everything he did that may affect his health.
"Johnny's integrity in the way he lived his life speaks for itself. We have no need to defend that."
with AAP
