ASADA inquiry: Paul Gallen among Cronulla Sharks players to accept reduced bans (ABC)

ABC Sharks captain Paul Gallen is among a group of players to accept ASADA's offer of a reduced ban.

New South Wales State of Origin captain Paul Gallen is among a group of former and current Cronulla players that have accepted an ASADA offer of a reduced ban for their part in the club's supplement scandal.

ASADA announced on Wednesday that a total of 17 past and present Sharks players were handed show cause notices in relation to allegations of taking prohibited substances in 2011.

A Cronulla official says captain Gallen will be unavailable for selection this weekend "because of the ASADA process."

Gallen told Channel Nine he was ready to be branded a drug cheat, saying he will let people make up their own mind after accepting ASADA's deal.

"People can have their own opinion. Life goes on and the sun is going to come up tomorrow," he said.

"There are plenty of people worse off than me. You've just got to get on with life. I'll let people make up their own mind.

"There was a lot of different things going through my mind. The last 12 hours have been hard.

"The ballpark, the goalposts changed three or four times. It's pretty tough but ... you've just got to get on with life."

Players had until 9.30am Friday to accept a reduced one-year suspension backdated to November, 2013, meaning the players will only miss the remaining games from this season and be free to start next season.

Early this afternoon the NRL confirmed all current NRL players issued show cause notices have responded to ASADA.

The NRL is expected to step in and immediately stand down those players accepting the ban offered by ASADA, preventing them from playing this weekend and for the remainder of the 2014 competition.

But rugby league's governing body said in a statement it will not take action until ASADA officially advises the NRL of the players' responses.

"The NRL's process will not begin until such time as we receive formal notification from ASADA based on player responses to the show cause notices," the statement said.

The majority of the players, including Gallen, Nathan Gardner, Wade Graham and Anthony Tupou, have accepted the reduced-ban offer.

Newcastle's Jeremy Smith and Kade Snowden have accepted their three-month bans, while Titans half-back Albert Kelly and prop Luke Douglas plus North Queensland centre Matthew Wright have also accepted their bans.

While most players will effectively serve a three-match club ban, Gallen and Smith will miss the Four Nations tournament for Australia and New Zealand.

With the Cowboys in the hunt for the finals, Wright will also miss their campaign as well as the Four Nations tournament for Samoa.

Super League players Paul Aiton and Ben Pomeroy are said to have rejected the bans.

In accepting the bans, the players must admit to taking banned substances as part of Cronulla's 2011 peptide program.

These admissions are likely to be used as evidence against support staff.

While former World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president John Fahey warned against any deals on Thursday, it is understood the players were told WADA would accept the backdated bans.

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