Wendell Sailor
Banned rugby star
Age:33
It's been a turbulent past year for Australian rugby league and
union star Wendell Sailor. He was banned from all competitive sport
for two years after a random drug test showed evidence of cocaine
use. The ban looks likely to represent Wendell's final exit from
the union stage.
The Queenslander had begun his sporting career in league, forging a
stellar career with the Brisbane Broncos, before eventually playing
for Australia.
Wendell had always kept an interest in union, and it was a shock to
league fans when he defected to union in 2001 to join the
Queensland Reds. In 2003 he was part of the Wallabies side in the
Rugby World Cup. He left his native Queensland in 2005 to join the
New South Wales Waratahs before the positive test result turned his
life upside down.
Wendell says the Treasure Island has given him a new lease of
life, making new friends and enjoying an experience unlike any
other.
"The Treasure Island experience has taught me to appreciate others,
to understand a lot more about myself. Just to appreciate that we
live in a pretty good world with pretty good people."
