I sat alongside him. I heard the same strictures about doping. And like many footy fans across the country, this week's revelations landed with a sense of shock.

I don't know what happened. I'm not looking to condone the use of drugs in sport. But remembering that story about our first briefing by ASADA also reminded me about the young bloke -- a year younger than the rest of us -- as good a person as a footballer, who would years later become one of the town's favourite sons.

I feel a sense of obligation to share some insights into Jarrod's younger days playing football, and the sometimes harsh realities for a young kid trying to "make it" in the game they love.

I played a lot with him as a kid. We were both juniors at Wests Newcastle, though he was an age group behind. We were both selected in the Knights under 16 Harold Matthews team in the 2002 season, and we shared lifts to each training session, trained together on days off, and played touch football in-between.

Young players from the age of about 14 are simply expected to abandon their futures for footy. If you were otherwise a bright student, but harboured dreams of playing in the NRL, you'd be playing footy instead of studying. If you were good with your hands, you'd be playing footy instead of working towards an apprenticeship. All of your creative and physical abilities were diverted and channelled into a high-risk high-reward scenario.

Young players who made it to the other side were hero-worshipped. The system spat out the rest. All of this engenders a win-at-all-costs attitude in young, impressionable people because not succeeding is simply not an option. They've already given up everything to roll the dice.

Football teams, even at junior level, revolve around a tight-knit fraternity of players, where the most admired are those who take risks, and fit a certain personality mould. Jarrod was different. Jarrod could get along with anyone, and was comfortable with everyone. For someone like me, who was a genuine square peg in that football community, Jarrod helped me fit in. Everyone respected him, because he was a star. They accepted me because Jarrod did.

The most impressive thing about Jarrod, and the reason I most admired him, was the way he withstood the environment where young Newcastle footballers are transformed into local gods. He came out the other side a good-natured, caring and humble person. 

For every Jarrod Mullen, there are 20 or 30 like me who get chewed up, spat out and trampled for good measure by the system. The experience can leave you bitter and resentful. As a child I sat in the concourse for every Knights home game for more than a decade. I don't even support the team anymore. But at no stage did I ever lose my respect or admiration for Jarrod.

Years later, I ran into Jarrod at the movies at Glendale while I was on a date. I hadn't seen him for a while, and he was by that stage a regular Knights first grader. He had a small gaggle of fans flocking around him, and I decided he had enough attention than to go over and bother him.

Moments later I heard my name bellowing across the room. Before I knew what was happening, Jarrod was charging towards me like a maniac. We hugged, caught up briefly and went our separate ways.

Some other former teammates, ones who grew too big for their under 16 football boots, might have just ignored me. But, as I said, Jarrod was different. He was kind and he was selfless.

I can't imagine the pressures he must have faced in the years since. From coaches and fans, from pundits and family. Thrust into Origin at a young age. Expected to carry the mantle of Andrew Johns. Cut down time and again by serious injury. And consider all of this in a profession that forces you to retire before you are halfway through your life.

When the next round of news breaks about Jarrod Mullen, and people form their own opinions about what transpired, I hope they're able to separate the actions from the person. Public figures are so rarely thought about in terms of their humanity. We gladly put them on a pedestal one day, and condemn them the next.

Jarrod never acted like he was on a pedestal. The person I knew - the same kid who sat through that ASADA briefing 15 years ago - deserves all the support this community can give him.