The Otago Daily Times understands Southland Sharks basketball player Gareth Dawson has returned a positive test for a prohibited substance and faces a minimum two-year ban.
The revelations come in the wake of three Sharks players being arrested following a brawl outside a New Plymouth bar during the weekend.
Drug Free Sport New Zealand chief executive Graeme Steel said he "can't comment'' when asked if Dawson had failed a drugs test.
But he was happy to explain the process.
"We don't publicise anything until there is a decision at the tribunal,'' Steel said.
'The world anti-doping code requires organisations to have all the dealings around a positive test kept confidential. When there is an outcome, that is made public.''
The process can take a little as a few weeks or couple of months depending on the complexity of the case, Steel explained.
"It is not a short process. Normally, after a positive A sample, there is a provisional suspension. The athlete is then taken out of play.''
Dawson has not played for the Sharks since round six. His absence has been explained by
Sharks officials as a break for personal reasons.
National Basketball League chairman Sam Rossiter-Stead also declined to comment when asked whether Dawson had failed a test.
