Rusty-Jake Rodriguez handed DRA suspension following failed drugs test

Rusty-Jake Rodriguez has been suspended from professional darts with immediate effect after failing a drugs test.

Rodriguez was selected for a random drugs test at Players Championship 24 in Milton Keynes on Saturday August 25 and returned a positive sample for a banned substance.

The Darts Regulation Authority have subsequently suspended the 24-year-old from attending or competing in DRA governed events until the conclusion of the investigation.

The Austrian, younger brother of former Tour Card holder Rowby-John, regained his Tour Card at European Qualifying School in January but has picked up just £7,500 in ranking prize money so far this season.

Rodriguez, a seven-time Development Tour winner who represented his country in the World Cup of Darts in June, has suffered first round exits in 18 of his 24 Players Championship appearances this year.

He becomes the second Tour Card holder to fail a drugs test within the last 12 months, with Dom Taylor having served a one-month ban for testing positive for a banned substance during a Players Championship event last November.