Sandor Earl
Quick Facts
Biography
Sandor Earl (/ˈɜːrl/; born 21 September 1989) was an Australia professional rugby league player who last played for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL before being banned for 4 years for a doping violation. He primarily played on the wing. He is of Hungarian, Maori and English descent.
Early years
Raised in Sydney's eastern suburbs, Earl played for the Paddington-Woollahra Tigers in the Sydney Roosters' junior district. Sandor went to high school at the famous Rugby League nursery St Gregory's College, Campbelltown, New South Wales from year 7-11 before injuring his knee and undergoing a knee reconstruction. After recovering from the operation, Earl changed to Matraville Sports High School in 2007 where he was a member of the Arrive Alive Cup winning team, scoring a try in the final against Patrician Brothers Blacktown.
Playing career
Sydney Roosters
Earl subsequently entered the NRL for the Sydney Roosters, making his debut in Round 16 of 2009 against the Cronulla Sharks. However, the Roosters let him go at the end of the season, after he and fellow rugby player Jake Friend were charged with assault (for which he was found not guilty) on 20 July, for "sustained concussion, bruising to face, pain to neck and back", the victim being 31-year-old Queensland woman believed to be Kristy Bradley, the niece of ABC rugby league radio commentator David Morrow.
Penrith Panthers
The following season, he signed for the Penrith Panthers and was named the club's top rookie player. His 2010 season was capped by scoring a spectacular try in a preliminary final against the Canberra Raiders, cartwheeling towards the try line and planting the ball over it while his body was suspended over the sideline. However, the Panthers lost the match and were knocked out of the finals the following week, losing to Earl's old club, the Sydney Roosters.
Earl played for the Panthers' feeder club the Windsor Wolves in the New South Wales Cup Grand Final which they lost to the Bulldogs.
In 2011, Earl played few games before being ruled out for the season with a shoulder injury. There was then talk that he had signed a contract with the Melbourne Storm. This was later proved false and that he had resigned with the Panthers for two years.
Canberra Raiders
As of June, 2012 Earl has been released by the Panthers to join the Canberra Raiders. In October, 2012 Earl signed to stay with the Raiders until the end of 2013. On 29 August 2013, Earl was removed from the NRL competition and the Canberra Raiders after he was issued with an infraction notice for the use and trafficking of drugs to which he has admitted to and will assist the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority with their investigation.
Representative career
In 2010 he was named in the New Zealand Māori team that played against England.
Outside rugby league
Career Start & Charity: 2008-2011
Back in 2008, Earl was featured in the "Gods of Football" calendar as a fund raising activity for the breast cancer charity alongside other sportsman of Australia.
Return to Modeling: 2013 – present
On February 2013, He modeled alongside then-Raiders player, Josh Dugan in a tattoed themed photo shoot.
Personal life
Earl is currently living in Melbourne, Australia with girlfriend Stephanie Easting and has recently opened his own F45 franchise.
Doping investigation
On 29 August 2013, Earl was stood down from the NRL competition after he was issued with an infraction notice for the use and trafficking of the performance-enhancing drug CJC-1295, a synthetic growth hormone analogue. He admitted the charges and assisted ASADA with their investigation.On 2 June 2014, Sandor's charges of the use of peptides was dropped by ASADA. 18 days after ASADA dropped the charges he won an injunction against the anti-doping investigation, delaying the NRL doping hearing. Sandor and his lawyer, Tim Unsworth both fought against the NRL and ASADA. Earl's hearing at the NRL's anti-doping tribunal was postponed in July 2014.
In October 2015, the NRL announced that the Australian Anti-Doping Tribunal had handed Earl a 4-year ban for the following anti-doping rule violations; use of CJC-1295 (eight violations), possession of CJC-1295, trafficking in somatropin, trafficking in clenbuterol, attempted trafficking in SARMS and attempted trafficking in testosterone. The ban was set to run from the date when Earl was provisionally suspended, 29 August 2013, and to end 29 August 2017.