Three CFL Draft prospects test positive for performance-enhancing drugs

Photo courtesy: CFL.

Three CFL Draft prospects tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs at Combine events, resulting in a one-year ban from signing a CFL contract.

Canadian offensive lineman Mahdi Hazime and defensive lineman Cameron Michaud both tested positive for exogenous testosterone at the Invitational Combine on March 6 in Waterloo, with Hazime’s test also showing traces of four additional anabolic steroids: metandienone, clostebol, drostanolone, and nandrolone. Global defensive lineman Jack Low was flagged for the use of SARM LGD-4033 (ligandrol) at the CFL Combine in Edmonton on March 27 through 29.

As per the CFL Drug Policy, all three players will have their draft years deferred to 2027 and may not play in the CFL this year. This will also count as a first violation at the CFL level.

Hazime garnered headlines after posting the most bench press reps of any prospect this year, posting 38 in Waterloo. The native of Toronto, Ont., attended New Mexico Highlands University in the NCAA Division II this past season, but played only sparingly. He originally committed to the University of Michigan coming out of high school before making stops at Monroe College and New Mexico Military Institute at the junior college level. He returned to the Division I ranks with Houston Christian University in 2023, where he started five games at centre over two years, before transferring for a fourth time.

Michaud attended Bluefield State University, a Division II program in West Virginia, last season, capping a journeyman career that included stops at the University of Guelph and Saginaw Valley State University. The six-foot-five, 264-pound pass rusher collected 21 tackles, four tackles for loss, and two sacks in 13 collegiate games on both sides of the border, but is best remembered for his time in the Canadian Junior Football League, where he was named an All-Canadian with the Okanagan Sun in 2023. The native of Calgary, Alta., was arrested and charged with retail fraud in Michigan in April 2025.

Low, who hails from Brisbane, Australia, played at Fordham University and appeared in 38 games during his time there, amassing 75 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, a pass deflection, and a fumble recovery. He has already signed a contract with the Alpine Rams in the American Football League of Europe.

None of the three players were projected to be drafted this year.

The CFL Drug Policy applies to all prospects who participate in the Combine circuit. In total, 85 percent of all participants underwent anti-doping testing before, or on-site during, the Combines.

Queen’s defensive tackle Darien Newell was the only player to test positive for performance-enhancing drugs ahead of the 2025 CFL Draft, though his punishment was not handed down until after he’d been selected in the second round by the Edmonton Elks. He will be eligible to sign his rookie contract shortly after this year’s draft has concluded.