Performance-enhancing drugs in the AFL

[GCSkiwi]

As an aside am I being cynical by thinking it is more than coincidence that Essendon came out with this just prior to the report that has come out today from the 18 month investigation into drugs in sport.

Not at all. I was thinking exactly that after the timing of the AFL drug summit and then the Dons coming out saying they wanted an investigation. However, I will give them credit that they immediately got ASADA involved, which is a big step - they could have kept it in house with the AFL. So I think there may be some level of genuine confession/culpability here.

@Grazz - ASADA is a governmental regulatory body, I'm virtually certain they can trump the AFL should the choose to. I'm pretty sure that ASADA regulates all levels of sport across the nation. To be honest I'm not entirely sure either but I fail to see why the AFL would be excluded from ASADA's reach.

Thanks mate, ive also read another article today that says ASADA would impose 2 year bans to the individual only they dont impose bans on clubs. Everything ive read suggests they will impose these bans if any individual is found guilty and the AFL have no control now they are involved. The AFL will however be able to sanction the club/clubs involved.

Im glad its all out there now and all sports are being investigated for illegal supplement use and criminal involvement in all sports.
Its a cancer and needs to be cut out. I dont care who it is how well known or not, throw the book at them.

Yes I believe that's correct, ASADA have no pwer to sanction the bombers as a club, that's the AFL's business, but they have every right to take the entire list and ban them if they're found to be in breach of doping regulations - this includes any support staff with a direct involvement (procuring/possession of the drugs and/or means of administration is also an offense ASADA can punish).

[LF]

Also for peoples information, the actual ASADA rule sheet:
http://www.asada.gov.au/rules_and_violations/8_rule_violations.html
It's not just use of a drug you can be banned for...

Yep rule 8 on there

8. Administration or attempted administration to any athlete in-competition of any prohibited method or prohibited substance, or administration or attempted administration to any athlete out-of-competition of any prohibited method or any prohibited substance that is prohibited out-of-competition, or assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting, covering up or any other type of complicity involving an Anti-Doping Rule Violation or any attempted Anti-Doping Rule Violation.

[Justin Bieber]

NRL are in heaps of shower now. Cronulla have admitted in taking the same shower with Dank.

[Ziplock]

well, at least they're not as big of scumbags as these guys...

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/former-nrl-player-admits-to-postman-blackmail-20130207-2e0r5.html

[Ringo]

NRL are in heaps of shower now. Cronulla have admitted in taking the same shower with Dank.

Manly and Penrith as well Lez.

[coolfugitiv0]

As an aside am I being cynical by thinking it is more than coincidence that Essendon came out with this just prior to the report that has come out today from the 18 month investigation into drugs in sport.

Not at all. I was thinking exactly that after the timing of the AFL drug summit and then the Dons coming out saying they wanted an investigation. However, I will give them credit that they immediately got ASADA involved, which is a big step - they could have kept it in house with the AFL. So I think there may be some level of genuine confession/culpability here.

@Grazz - ASADA is a governmental regulatory body, I'm virtually certain they can trump the AFL should the choose to. I'm pretty sure that ASADA regulates all levels of sport across the nation. To be honest I'm not entirely sure either but I fail to see why the AFL would be excluded from ASADA's reach.

Thanks mate, ive also read another article today that says ASADA would impose 2 year bans to the individual only they dont impose bans on clubs. Everything ive read suggests they will impose these bans if any individual is found guilty and the AFL have no control now they are involved. The AFL will however be able to sanction the club/clubs involved.

Im glad its all out there now and all sports are being investigated for illegal supplement use and criminal involvement in all sports.
Its a cancer and needs to be cut out. I dont care who it is how well known or not, throw the book at them.

Yes I believe that's correct, ASADA have no pwer to sanction the bombers as a club, that's the AFL's business, but they have every right to take the entire list and ban them if they're found to be in breach of doping regulations - this includes any support staff with a direct involvement (procuring/possession of the drugs and/or means of administration is also an offense ASADA can punish).

"How does the ASADA process work?
The ASADA investigators will get to work immediately and every Essendon player and football department employee can expect to be interviewed in the coming days and weeks. There is no timeframe for when the investigation will be completed. If there are suspicions that the WADA code has been broken, an independent Anti-Doping Rule Violation Panel, made up of experts in the areas of sports medicine, sports law, clinical pharmacology, ethics and investigations will assess the information presented to them, including information provided by the athlete, and then decide whether to enter a player's details on to the Register of Findings (a formal record of decisions on anti-doping rule violations and associated matters) and whether to recommend a sanction to the sport. The players would be given the opportunity to have a hearing before a sports tribunal. It would then be up to the AFL to sanction the players or support staff."

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-02-06/bomber-shocker-the-key-questions

I bolded the relevant parts.

Basically my understanding of this is that ASADA can recommend a sanction, but it's the actual AFL who decides what (or if) the sanction is.

[Grazz]

Alot of conflicting stories going around by the looks , everything ive seen lately suggests it will proceed more like below.

[Justin Bieber]

NRL are in heaps of shower now. Cronulla have admitted in taking the same shower with Dank.

Manly and Penrith as well Lez.

And West and st George

[Southstorm]

ASADA works the same as the judiciary system; an early plea and admittance of guilt gets you a lesser fine. So two year bans are looking very unlikely at this stage. Unless Essendon are implicated in this report (possible) I think the penalty is going to be far less than two years, maybe 1 at the most.

[Grazz]

ASADA works the same as the judiciary system; an early plea and admittance of guilt gets you a lesser fine. So two year bans are looking very unlikely at this stage. Unless Essendon are implicated in this report (possible) I think the penalty is going to be far less than two years, maybe 1 at the most.

As much as 3/4 of a reduction from your sentence i believe.

[GCSkiwi]

"How does the ASADA process work?
The ASADA investigators will get to work immediately and every Essendon player and football department employee can expect to be interviewed in the coming days and weeks. There is no timeframe for when the investigation will be completed. If there are suspicions that the WADA code has been broken, an independent Anti-Doping Rule Violation Panel, made up of experts in the areas of sports medicine, sports law, clinical pharmacology, ethics and investigations will assess the information presented to them, including information provided by the athlete, and then decide whether to enter a player's details on to the Register of Findings (a formal record of decisions on anti-doping rule violations and associated matters) and whether to recommend a sanction to the sport. The players would be given the opportunity to have a hearing before a sports tribunal. It would then be up to the AFL to sanction the players or support staff."

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-02-06/bomber-shocker-the-key-questions

I bolded the relevant parts.

Basically my understanding of this is that ASADA can recommend a sanction, but it's the actual AFL who decides what (or if) the sanction is.

Interesting - this may well be the case, I'm not 100% sure how the hierarchy works here. Though it would seems somewhat dodgy ground for the AFL not to impose any ASADA sanctions if indeed they have the final call. Sets a precedent that I don't think they will want to set... So it might ultimately be a semantic argument, as I think the AFL would be remiss not to impose any sanctions recommended to them. Sends a bad message

[Toga]

And you blokes called the Crows cheats...

You still are lol ;) ::)

[Bluke]

As an aside am I being cynical by thinking it is more than coincidence that Essendon came out with this just prior to the report that has come out today from the 18 month investigation into drugs in sport.

Not at all. I was thinking exactly that after the timing of the AFL drug summit and then the Dons coming out saying they wanted an investigation. However, I will give them credit that they immediately got ASADA involved, which is a big step - they could have kept it in house with the AFL. So I think there may be some level of genuine confession/culpability here.

@Grazz - ASADA is a governmental regulatory body, I'm virtually certain they can trump the AFL should the choose to. I'm pretty sure that ASADA regulates all levels of sport across the nation. To be honest I'm not entirely sure either but I fail to see why the AFL would be excluded from ASADA's reach.

1) ACC Taskforce collects and collates intel from sources including AFP, state pol, Customs, known POIs. 
2) ACC drafts report.
3) ACC releases class version of report to dep sec's and other stakeholders (Minister Home Affairs, Minister Sports).
4) ACC declasses report for Demetriou and other code heads (probably sometime early last week he is briefed and asked to attend an official press release in Canberra today 7/02).
5) Demetriou informs Chairman of Essendon FC they've been the target of an ACC investigation and the best course of action is to 'come forward'.
6) ACC declasses the report one last time for public distribution removing all names, dates, addresses and any other identifiers and holds a press conference attended by Demetriou (where he is more than likely briefed further).
7) Demetriou denies the investigation and report prompted Essendon's admission (false).
8) Essendon hold on to their butts.

I want to see the original report. That will indicate just how guilty Essendon are. Either way it’s up to ASADA to prove guilt, if they can’t do that they can’t ban anyone. Their case relies on the ACC’s intel, and you can guarantee that ASADA will have known about this for some time (yes Gov. agencies do talk to each other). ASADA would be the major client of any intel product released by ACC/AFP/Customs relating to PIEDs.

If they can prove guilt, no one is safe – ignorance is never an arguable defence.

Quite simply, Essendon FC are flowered. Unless of course ASADA can't prove anything, and remembering that its in the AFL's interest for this to go away (ie. cover it up).

The look on Hird’s face the other day wasn’t a product of negligence, it was a product of being caught.

[disclamer] the above intepretation of events is pure conjecture [/disclaimer]

[Grazz]

Footy Classified on tonight, should be interesting.

[Windigo]

Yep, all over it. Must watch TV. :P

Like to hear what Barrett has to say, bit of a twat, but knows his stuff.  8)