All Blacks great Dan Carter says he was disappointed to see "confidential information leaked" and allegations of anti-doping breaches "dragged out through the media" after being cleared of wrongdoing.
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The former New Zealand star and his Racing 92 team-mates Joe Rokocoko and Juan Imhoff were exonerated by the French Rugby Federation this week following reports they had returned positive samples ahead of their Top 14 final victory over Toulon in June.
Racing had insisted all treatment had followed proper protocols, with the club's doctor also receiving the all-clear from French rugby's governing body.
"I guess the process has been a little bit disappointing, how it's been dragged out through the media," Carter told Le Monde.
"It's been tough because there's been confidential information being leaked. It's disappointing to have to try and defend yourself when you've done nothing wrong.
"Obviously, I respect the authorities that help keep the game clean. I would never do anything intentionally to put the game into disrepute. It's nice to get the decision and be able to move on and do what I love, and that's play rugby."
Carter, who won the 2015 Rugby World Cup with the All Blacks before calling time on his international career to move to France, insisted he had merely received routine treatment for a knee problem.
"When you have an injury, you take procedures to cure that injury, within the anti-doping regulations, of course," he said.
"Obviously, the reason for me taking, which I explained to the medical hearing that we had, was that I played the [Top 14] semi-final against Clermont. The next day I had inflammation in my knee.
"I had the injection. I rested for two days. And then after that rest I was fit to play, and I played. And I can't see a problem with that because that's all within the regulations. When you have an injury, you get your injury cured."
Carter claimed the incident was blown out of proportion in France while being largely dismissed in New Zealand.
"I'm not sure what the debate is," he said.
"I was a little surprised at the amount of media created.
"Back home in New Zealand they saw the story, they've seen that I hadn't broken any doping regulations. And after 24 hours there was no longer a story.
"It seemed to drag on here in France. I don't really know why because I don't read the papers or listen to the news, so I don't really know anything about the debate, but I was a little surprised how long it's gone on for compared to back home in New Zealand."