The NRL has issued Penrith centre Brent Naden with a breach notice and $5000 fine for failing to comply with the game’s 2020 biosecurity protocols during grand final week last year.
Naden was found to have associated with people outside the Panthers’ biosecurity bubble on the night before the Panthers’ grand final loss to Melbourne at ANZ Stadium in October.
The NRL issued a statement on Friday to say the fine was “consistent with sanctions handed down to players who committed similar breaches during the 2020 season, which took into account the income of the player”.
Naden has already served a one-month suspension in compliance with the World AntiDoping Code for returning a positive sample to Benzoylecgonine and Methylecgonine, which are metabolites of cocaine.
The breach notice deals only with the biosecurity breach.
The NRL has completed a thorough investigation into whether the Panthers had any knowledge of Naden using illicit substances on the evening prior to the grand final and has found no evidence the club was aware of the breach prior to the interchange centre playing in the clash with the Storm.