Hird and Drugs

[ossie85]

Sorry - I still think the blame lies with Essendon

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-08-21/afl-reveals-charges

And that letter by Bruce Reid is extremely damning.

I don't understand why Essendon supporters aren't furious with the club, I would be if it was at Collingwood.

[Rusty00]

Sorry - I still think the blame lies with Essendon

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-08-21/afl-reveals-charges

And that letter by Bruce Reid is extremely damning.

I don't understand why Essendon supporters aren't furious with the club, I would be if it was at Collingwood.

Wow  :o That letter is extremely damning and would be a key component to the AFL's case against the Bombers.

[Ringo]

Agree that letter is really damning and will be hard to negate.

[valkorum]

I think the letter from Dr Reid goes to show that the Bombers knew what they were doing was wrong and they did it anyway.  The document also does not give a good account of Dank - all I can say is WOW

After reading all of it I can completely understand why the AFL has laid charges.  Although from that report it does seem that Thompson and Reid are reasonably innocent.

[anchorman]

Certainly doesn't read well for the club and those concerned does it?
I wonder if this is the missing letter from the Doc they were talking about earlier.
It makes the rest of them look bad I think.

[Rusty00]

Certainly doesn't read well for the club and those concerned does it?
I wonder if this is the missing letter from the Doc they were talking about earlier.
It makes the rest of them look bad I think.

Yes it is.

[BGK]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj7SsyLEPTE

So big announcement on 360 tonight (or last night).

ASADA confirmed AOD 9604 was legal under clause S2. Considering the S0 clause was only for substances that weren't classified under ANY OTHER CLAUSE, it gets us completely off the hook concerning AOD 9604.

Furthermore, the AFL had knowledge that AOD was legal since February.... For 7 months they've kept this quiet, not confirming this was the case, just let the media destroy our reputation. We couldn't say anything due to the ongoing investigation while they have leaked like a... leaky tap.

Then they charge us with bringing the game into disrepute? This is beyond a joke.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-08-21/aod9604-never-permitted

According to this Asada denies that AOS-9604 was ever approved and is considered banned.

Essendon and Hird seem to have their blinkers on and can only see AOD-9604 as the only issue. One point ive found very concerning for Essendon is the mention of Thymosin in the charges.

[Capper]

The letter does help hirdy imo. He is gone now.

The letter was written in january and Dank was sacked months before, so why were the bombers still getting injections after Dank left? Also who were injecting the players if Reid wasnt??

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-08-21/full-text-of-dr-bruce-reids-letter

[ossie85]

Written in Jan 2012

[Capper]

Written in Jan 2012

So Dank was sacked in 2012 not 2011??

[ossie85]

Yep, at end of 2012

[Spinking]

Have lost a lot of respect for Hirdy through this process, and the response from the Dons today hasn't helped that. I think Reid's letter sums up the real issues here. Personally I don't care whether the drugs were technically legal or not - it was a reckless program that skated the line between right and wrong, put their players in a sickening position and has really tainted the game.

[ossie85]

Have lost a lot of respect for Hirdy through this process, and the response from the Dons today hasn't helped that. I think Reid's letter sums up the real issues here. Personally I don't care whether the drugs were technically legal or not - it was a reckless program that skated the line between right and wrong, put their players in a sickening position and has really tainted the game.

+2

[T Dog]

Hows the language tone being used...obviously working to a legal strategy ... :(

[Grazz]

What a mess this is. Smoke and mirrors by both the AFL and Essendon. Both sides claiming the opposite of each other for months, the public confused and not a lot wiser from any information released by them and the media as something always seems to contradict what the other has said and this is still the case months down the track. I hope all the charges and why they have been laid and the defence of Hird and CO be totally transparent so we are able to wade through all the misinformation and smoke and mirrors and see what has really happened here and to what extent.

1) ASADA now have the power to compel witnesses to testify since the beginning of August so why haven't those choosing to remain silent been interviewed under these new powers.

2) ASADA say they never indicated to anyone AOD/9064 was legal/approved. Essendon have alluded to a letter, where is this letter.

3) How many and what substances were given to the players besides AOD/9064 and Thymosin Beta-4 (Also not approved allegedly).

4) A Muscular Dystrophy patient goes to Mexico and purchases tens of thousands of dollars worth of medicine and then leaves it in the clinic that Dank/Robinson work out of and then they in turn think hey we'll use this on the Essendon boys and bill the club 61k.
Where and the how the hell does this happen if everything is above board. For Gods sake who with Muscular Dystrophy would leave thousands of dollars worth of their medicine sourced from Mexico in a clinic and then never collect it. Whats this all about.

5) Improper recoreds kept as to what and when was injected is astounding to me, one would think that under the guise of a fitness/health/recovery regime all records would be meticulous with information on what was being done and when and how much for further reference on how to emulate it or improve upon it pending the results learned. To think it was haphazardly documented to the point it probably couldn't be replicated to be honest astounds me a great deal. Nothing sounds remotely right about this at all, for a AFL club Coaches, Doctors and Sports Scientists to approach their Fitness/health/Recovery program like this is extraordinary and would have many suspicious as to why this would be allowed happen.

6) How are the parents fears allayed as Tim Watson suggests after the meeting with Bombers officials regarding what and when was given if these drugs haven't been approved due to incomplete clinical studies as to the short term and long term affects on the human body. As a parent I doubt I would be totally at ease just yet.

Just some of the things above that I would like to know a lot more about than we currently do now and clear and entire explanations given by all parties involved. At this stage I still have serious doubts as to how transparent this will all become because if it doe's hit the courts then information can have injunctions placed on it and hidden from us through due legal process. The AFL have allegedly done it before with reporters having stories getting injunctions placed on them so that this info never see's the printing press. I suspect because I am a suspicious type that both parties will try to have certain elements of this drama never made public.

I also think the AFL were happy for this to drag on so as not to impose to greatly on the 2013 season then hit the Bombers with the charges remove their points just in time for finals if they made it and move on from there. What shock's me is how they didn't realise with the Bombers attitude towards the allegations that they inturn would not decide to use legal loopholes under AFL guidelines to gain more time to address the charges hence preserving their position on the ladder and the ability to play finals in 2013.

Everyday I become more convinced the AFL board are a rabble of incompetent people who rarely think an issue/problem through  for the entire outcome and possible scenario's stemming from their actions or inactivity on an issue, they are simply reactive and not proactive in far to many cases all under the watch of Mr Demetriou who I think should also resign due to the loss of faith in him by the greater football public. All punishment's should be in accordance with WADA's anti doping laws should party's be found guilty and implemented fully regardless of any disruption to further season's due to bans suspensions etc as the whole world is watching and we must not be seen to be dropping the ball or sugar coating it to avoid maximum disruption to a season simply because we don't want to spoil what we have now for 2014 and beyond.

Certain people have caused this fiasco and it's in our lap now and we must deal with it with total integrity and do what would be expected by any other nation should the same issue of arisen in a sport in their country. As bad as it may become if guilty we have to follow protocol and do what is expected of us as a nation as much as I dislike saying it, we really have little choice for we are the ones, Australians that shout louder for a fair go for all and that it is as important as to how you play or compete as much as winning is. We've built a country on these values we choose to hold dear and protect through our sporting prowess and these values have inturn crept into all facets of our life, we as a nation are what are because of Bradman, Armstrong, Fraser, Cuthbert, Famechon, Rose, Waugh, Freeman etc as much as any other individual such as a Prime Minister, War hero or event etc. Are we not a proud and honourable sporting nation anymore, has this been diluted so much now by our multiculturalism that this is no longer a large part of what our spirit, values and traditions are or have been and should continue to be. I think not, I think we are as proud and as honourable a sporting nation as we always have been and if you except the words written in this paragraph then in your heart you would also know that we have little choice but to act as we are expected to act by the eyes of the world and for ourselves or we are not who we believe we are and the values we hold dear are just words in order to makes us feel good about ourselves not the reality.