RODRIGUEZ SUSPENDED PROVISIONALLY OVER FAILED DOPING TEST
16/09/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
RUSTY-JAKE RODRIGUEZ has been provisionally suspended following a failed doping test at Players Championship 24.
The 24-year-old was randomly tested during the ProTour event on August 25, and abnormal results prompted the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) to act immediately.
Austrian thrower Rodriguez is now barred from taking part in – or even attending – any events covered by the DRA while the investigation continues.
The DRA confirmed the suspension is a “standard procedure” under its rules, with the ban remaining in place until a full investigation and disciplinary process is completed.
Rodriguez does have the right to appeal, which would allow him to challenge both the validity of the test and the provisional ban.
In that case, an independent panel will review the evidence before any final decision is made.
‘RJR3’ made his mark by reaching the World Youth Championship quarter-finals in 2021, before backing it up with a Euro Tour run to the Hungarian Darts Trophy quarters the following year.
Rodriguez also won five titles on the 2021 European Development Tour, finishing top of the Order of Merit which granted him a two-year PDC Tour Card.
World No 138 Rodriguez surrendered his Tour Card in 2024 after enduring a dip in form across successive seasons.
But Rodriguez is seen as one of the most promising talents and regained his Tour Card at 2025 Q-School after finishing sixth in the European Q-School Order of Merit.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
