The NRL is set to launch a seperate investigation into Penrith centre Brent Naden's positive A-sample drug test of cocaine following the Panthers' Grand Final loss on October 25, per The Daily Telegraph.
Naden is currently under a provisional suspension after being one of only five Penrith players tested to return a positive reading.
The 24-year-old will appear before an NRL Anti-Doping Tribunal, where he will need to prove the illicit substance wasn't taken for the purpose of enhancing his performance.
If found guilty, Naden would face a two-year ban, with just a one-to-three month suspension served if found to be used for recreational use.
With Naden checked into rehabilitation last month and having since been released as an outpatient, the Panthers player could face just a one-month suspension as he is undergoing a rehabilitation program, meaning he may not miss a game for the 2021 season.
The league is set to investigate the matter of how Naden may have broken the NRL's biosecurity guidlines while in lockdown for the Grand Final.
The investigation by the NRL Integrity Unit will look into whether Naden left his own home or was visited by someone, with either scenario breaching the league's bubble protocol policy ahead of the season decider.
The NRL are understood to have already interviewed Naden on multiple occasions.
