Carlow footballer Ray Walker has accepted a four-year ban for an anti-doping violation but says he did not intentionally take a banned substance.
In a statement released this evening, Walker, 35, accepted the suspension while saying, 'it is not an admission of intentional wrong doing on my part in any way'.
Walker's statement read: "My name is Ray Walker. I am 35 years-old and returned to the Carlow senior football panel last November following a long absence. I am the player who is at the centre of recent reports about an anti-doping violation.
"In light of the 4-year ban which I now have to serve, which ends my inter-county career, and most likely my club involvement given my age, I want to put the following on the record.
"I did not intentionally take any banned substance. Anything that was found in my system was there completely unintentionally. I cannot explain for sure how the substance came to be in my system but I was taking anti-inflammatories for a lower stomach issue around the time of the test.
"I am accepting the 4-year ban because I want this episode over and done with and, at 35, even a lesser ban would still mean I was unlikely to ever return to playing. It is not an admission of intentional wrong doing on my part in any way.
"Finally, from the time that I re-joined the Carlow panel in November to the time the test took place in February, I did not receive any anti-doping training or education.
"I will be making no further comment on this matter and would appreciate that the media would respect my privacy in this regard."
