Celtic's Leigh Griffiths hits out at '˜disgusting' drug test rumours

Leigh Griffiths has taken aim at social media gossipmongers who this week claimed that the Celtic striker's recent absence was the result of a failed drug test rather than a recurring calf problem and sickness.

Celtic's Leigh Griffiths was voted the international player of the year by the Scottish Football Writers Association. Picture: Steve Welsh

Griffiths has not featured for the Premiership champions since the 5-0 win over Rangers at the end of last month after being laid low by an infection.

He is hoping to return to action for the final league game of the season against Aberdeen tomorrow lunchtime and then the following weekend’s Scottish Cup final against Motherwell.

“I’m still a bit under the weather but I’ve been given medicine from the hospital to take and it’ll pass,” said Griffiths, who was yesterday named the Scottish Football Writers’ Association’s International Player of the Year .

“Anyway, there are only a couple of games still to go and then I can have a proper rest.

“I didn’t even feel rough. I don’t know what it was, just a bad infection. Last Sunday took its toll and that’s when the doc called me and told me to get to a hospital and I was admitted overnight. They did various tests on me but they came back all clear and I just wanted to get out so I could return to training and playing.

“It really affected my energy levels, though, and I feel physically weak. I also lost a lot of weight and I’m finding normal training sessions a bit hard.”

On Monday Griffiths was involved in a Twitter spat after being accused of failing a drug test. “It was madness, what I was reading,” he said yesterday. “I had to laugh at the stuff people try to make up but it’s not nice for my family to see. They all read that nonsense and it’s disgusting, some of it.

“The people who put this out there, that’s their life. If it makes them happy putting out rumours and it’s what they want to do… I prefer to ignore what they’re saying and concentrate on the real world because these people are sad individuals.

“They don’t see the light of day; they just sit behind computers or mobile phones and try to make up rubbish to 
disrupt other people’s lives.

“I’ve learned to grow a pair and just ignore them but I had to say something on this 
occasion.

“When there are rumours going around that I’ve failed a drug test and it’s being swept under the carpet then I have to come out and say something because, if I sit in silence, that lie gathers more and more momentum.”