NILE RANGER’S suspension at Southend came about after he admitted to taking Class-A drugs.
The bad-boy striker, who has not played since January 7, confessed to using cocaine and MDMA last month after random drug-testers arrived at the club’s training ground.
It is the latest in a string of off-the-field controversies for the 25-year-old, who last month also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud over an online banking fraud in which a woman lost more than £2,000.
And it follows the shock drug shame allegations involving Stoke star Saido Berahino.
Random drug-testers pitched up at Southend’s Essex training ground in the week commencing January 9 and called on the striker, who has found trouble at most of the clubs he has been employed by.
But before going in, he told boss Phil Brown that he had taken party drug MDMA on the previous Saturday and cocaine the next night.
Southend subsequently suspended Ranger and claimed it was due to a “breach of discipline” in a statement.
The League One outfit insisted it would not make a decision on the player’s future until an FA investigation, which is ongoing, is completed.
The club declined to comment when approached by SunSport, referring instead to the statement.
Ranger has been in trouble since the age of 15, when he was sent to a Young Offenders Institute for his part in a street robbery in London.
Since becoming a professional footballer, he has been involved in a host of incidents, including posing with a replica gun, being charged with being drunk and disorderly, being fined by the FA for making homophobic comments, being fined for causing criminal damage and being found not guilty of rape.
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But the player insisted to SunSport only recently that he had curbed his troublesome ways which have blighted his career.
In an interview in November, the former Newcastle striker claimed: “I believe I’ve grown up now.
“I didn’t realise this early on but I’m a role model to a lot of people. I have to go out and conduct myself in the right way.
“The (Southend) fans have shown me a lot of love and support so I can’t complain. They’re looking after me, Southend, so I can’t go out and mess things up now.”
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