The uncle of Devonshire Cougars? sweeper Omar Butterfield has demanded a public apology from Bermuda Council for Drug Free Sport (BCDS) for the manner in which they handled his nephew?s drugs scans on the eve of Brazilian side Santos? tour of Bermuda last year.

Butterfield and team-mates Heys Wolfe and Raymond Beach were banned from playing all domestic and international football for one year for refusing to take a third drugs test at the National Sports Centre (NSC) on January 29, after initial scans were deemed ?invalid? by BCDS.learned last week that Butterfield and team-mate Heys Wolfe had been pardoned for failing to turn up for a third national team drugs test due to the fact they had never been ?officially? notified to do so by drug testing agency Benedict Associates or had signed waivers subjecting them to take mandatory national team drugs tests in the first instance.

It is a requirement for all players to sign waivers before they are eligible to join the national programme.

?They deserve a written and verbal apology because this whole ordeal cast a bad light on these guys and implied they were doing something negative when in fact they weren?t,? said Butterfield?s uncle, Rory Suber.

?For them to even suggest an offence had been committed without sufficient proof more than warrants an open apology. These guys could not even defend themselves. It was as though they were guilty from the start until proven innocent.

?These guys never had a voice and it was hard on them being accused of something that could not be proven.?

Both Butterfield and Wolfe had their playing status reinstated last April ? two months after their club had appealed.

However, team-mate Beach had his ban upheld due to the fact it was the second time the prolific striker had contravened BCDS regulations.

Beach is currently serving a three-year ban amid arbitration hearings among the Ministry of Sport?s Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) arbitration panel.

Suber continued: ?All of the details that are now coming to light, these guys were aware of all this time. And it is very unfortunate they had to go through this ordeal for a sport they love.

?These guys just love to play football and something of this nature is really hard on a young individual.?

Last month Government MPs rejected calls by the Opposition for politicians to undergo mandatory drug tests.

?They are saying ?you can?t make me do it? but someone who plays softball for extra curricular has to be tested,? Suber added.

?It?s seems to me as though what we have here is a classic case of do what I say and not what I do, which is hypocrisy.?