Former Everton prospect Jose Baxter banned for 12 months after failing second drug test
Baxter, 24, will miss the entire 2016/17 campaign after accepting the FA punishment for testing positive for a social drug, believed to be cocaine, last February.
It represents a sad fall from grace for Baxter who was tipped for a great future when he made his Everton debut in 2008 aged 16 years, 191 days. He remains the fifth-youngest player to have appeared in the Premier League.
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Jose Baxter (left) has been suspended for 12 months after failing a second drug test
It is FA policy not to announce or comment on cases where players have tested positive for social drugs out of competition in order not to distract from their rehabilitation.
Baxter first burst on to the scene in 2008 when David Moyes gave him a debut against Blackburn Rovers.
But he failed to live up to early comparisons with Wayne Rooney and left Goodison Park in 2012 after 15 first-team appearances before going on to pursue his career with Oldham Athletic and Sheffield United.
Nobody saw that coming hey?
@Mikey_Fitzgerald
- Jose Baxter is believed to have tested positive for cocaine in February
- He had also failed a test in 2015 when he tested positive for ecstasy
- Baxter will miss the entire 2016/17 campaign after being banned
- He will not be able to train or play for a club until next summer
Baxter, 24, will miss the entire 2016/17 campaign after accepting the FA punishment for testing positive for a social drug, believed to be cocaine, last February.
It represents a sad fall from grace for Baxter who was tipped for a great future when he made his Everton debut in 2008 aged 16 years, 191 days. He remains the fifth-youngest player to have appeared in the Premier League.
+2
Jose Baxter (left) has been suspended for 12 months after failing a second drug test
It is FA policy not to announce or comment on cases where players have tested positive for social drugs out of competition in order not to distract from their rehabilitation.
Baxter first burst on to the scene in 2008 when David Moyes gave him a debut against Blackburn Rovers.
But he failed to live up to early comparisons with Wayne Rooney and left Goodison Park in 2012 after 15 first-team appearances before going on to pursue his career with Oldham Athletic and Sheffield United.
Nobody saw that coming hey?
@Mikey_Fitzgerald
