Gold Coast Titans unaware if more players are under Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission drugs investigation
Gold Coast Titans chief executive Graham Annesley says the club will have to wait to see if more of its players are being investigated by the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) in regard to drug supply allegations.
Five Titans players were stood down after receiving notices to appear in court in March in relation to an investigation by the CCC into a cocaine trafficking syndicate operating in south-east Queensland.
The Titans announced on Sunday that the five players would be called to front the board to argue their contracts should not be torn up for bringing the club into disrepute.
None of the players in question - Dave Taylor, Greg Bird, Beau Falloon, Kalifa Faifai Loa and Jamie Dowling - will be available for the Titans' opening NRL match against Wests Tigers on March 7.
Another former Titan, Joe Vickery, and Queensland Reds star Karmichael Hunt have also been implicated in the CCC investigation.
Annesley says the Titans have not been informed whether more of its players are under investigation.
"To the best of my knowledge we do not have any other charges pending," he told the ABC.
"The Crime and Corruption Commission don't telegraph their intentions in this regard so like everyone else we are sitting back and waiting to see what unfolds."
Fairfax Media has reported the Brisbane Broncos may also be under investigation by the CCC, but Annesley says he is unaware if this is the case.
"I've heard all the rumours and at this stage most of those have turned out to be just rumours," he said.
"But we simply don't know what intentions the Crime and Corruption Commission actually has. So we just have to wait and see."
Annesley denies the use of cocaine is a problem specific to the NRL.
"I don't think it's any more of a problem than it is in society generally," he said.
"[NRL chief executive] Dave Smith made that very clear yesterday, that this is a societal problem and it unfortunately pervades all sections of our community and I don't think it's any different in sport than it is in other aspects of the community."
Annesley confident about Titans' long-term future
The *NRL has taken over the ownership of the Titans in the wake of the current drugs scandal engulfing the club*, in addition to its financial problems highlighted by the fact it lacks a major sponsor.
The Titans were placed in voluntary administration after conceding it could no longer continue to meet its financial obligations, including staff and player salaries.
Despite the Titans handing over their licence to the NRL, the current board has been retained.
Annesley remains confident the Titans have a long-term future on the Gold Coast.
"We have financial security now that the NRL owns the club," he said.
"So that's removed any doubt about the club's long-term survival on the Gold Coast. And I guess the irony of all this is that last year we had a number of our major sponsorship properties that all expired at the same time.
"We've been desperately trying to renew those and the uncertainty about the club's future has had an impact on us not being able to do that.
"Now that we have certainty, I'm hopeful that we will be able to sign sponsors in the coming weeks and months, and once we renew those revenue streams we're not that far from being financially viable in our own right.
"So the objective in the short term is to stabilise the club. The NRL is not in the business of owning clubs long-term and we want to make this an attractive proposition for new investors in the future."