England flanker James Haskell has confirmed that he is alive after rumours surfaced on the internet that he had died of a steroid overdose.
The 31-year-old is currently recovering from a foot injury that required surgery after England's triumphant tour of Australia in June, but is expected to return for Wasps this month.
As well as rumours of his death, it had also been claimed that Haskell had decided to quit rugby and begin selling drugs, abandoning his family and fleeing the country as a result.
In a video published on YouTube, Haskell said: "You may have seen there are quite a lot of fake news stories operating on Facebook, that I have died of a steroid overdose, which is not true, that I have died of a drug overdose, which is not true, and that my career is over because I have been trying to sell drugs.
"Another rumour is circulating that I had to quit rugby and left everyone in my family and moved away. Just to make it clear, this is absolute rubbish. It is all click-bait.
"Rest assured, I'm not dead and not disgraced and for those of you who are sceptical, we get drugs-tested all the time. For those of you who wish I was dead, better luck next time."
Under new England head coach Eddie Jones, Haskell has established himself as first-choice openside flanker for his nation and is expected to add to his 70 caps once back from injury.
Giuseppe Labellarte
