AFL investigate Essendon over training concerns
Roar Guru 
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Essendon face scrutiny over controversial fitness programs during the 2012 season (AFL media/Slattery Images).
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Essendon’s controversial 2012 fitness program is set to come under the spotlight as part of an AFL and ASADA investigation into sports science practices at the club.
Sport scientist Stephen Dank was one of the key figures in the implementation of the club’s fitness program, but parted ways with the club at the end of last season following concerns about his treatment of players.
It is understood that the concerns relate to the administration of potentially performance-enhancing substances.
Essendon took the extraordinary step of calling a ten-minute press conference on Tuesday afternoon at AFL House to discuss the issue, with chairman David Evans flanked by coach James Hird and CEO Ian Robson.
Evans the club had gone to the AFL upon receiving information that supplements used by the sports science staff may not have fallen within ASADA guidelines.
He promised the club would “co-operate at every level” with the AFL and Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) but denied the club had administered performance-enhancing drugs to players, stating that the Bombers were simply looking for a “clean bill of health” from the AFL.
The club had met with the Gillon McLachlan and Brett Clothier from to discuss the potential issue, Evans said.
Hird, who was “shocked to be sitting” at the press conference discussing the issue, insisted that the coaches, players and staff had no knowledge of players using performance-enhancing drugs.
The AFL and ASADA are investigating.
Full statement from Essendon FC:
“Over the last 48 hours, the Essendon Football Club has received information about supplements that have been given to our players as part of the fitness program in 2012.
Given the information we received and the questions it has raised, we have taken the following action:
Firstly we, consulted with our staff, briefed our Board and all our players.
Secondly, we contacted the AFL and earlier today we met with Gillon McLachlan and Brett Clothier to brief them, and to seek advice. Following that discussion we requested that the AFL commence an immediate investigation.
Thirdly, today the Essendon Football Club contacted ASADA, the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority and requested their assistance in an investigation, and we offered the full cooperation of everyone at the club. ASADA has informed us that they will commence the investigation immediately.
Of course, this is very distressing for our club, our Executive, our players and our board. We believe as a club that we have done everything to be compliant with the rules and regulations of the AFL and ASADA.
But, the integrity of the club is critical for the people sitting at this table – and of course for the broader Essendon family, and that is why we have moved quickly today to call the AFL and ASADA to seek a clean bill of health.
I appreciate that there is a lot of questions and many that we will not be able to answer today.
We want this investigation to go where it will, and our club at every level will cooperate. We believe that we have acted today in a sensible and responsible way, and we now want the investigation to take its course.”
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- AFL, Essendon Bombers
February 5th 2013 @ 2:58pm
Redb said | February 5th 2013 @ 2:58pm | Report comment
The club’s slogan for 2013 is WhateverIt Takes.
Not good. Let’s see what transpires and then sack any wrongdoers immediately.
February 5th 2013 @ 6:38pm
nmj1654 said | February 5th 2013 @ 6:38pm | Report comment
Agreed. No point suspending the club from anything, just weed out the evildoers and proceed as normal, and let it be a lesson.
February 5th 2013 @ 9:57pm
Nathan of Perth said | February 5th 2013 @ 9:57pm | Report comment
Depends. How many, how much, who knew what.
Don’t take options off the table, but hope for the best from the investigation!
February 5th 2013 @ 7:17pm
clubcaptain said | February 5th 2013 @ 7:17pm | Report comment
If it is against the rules, sack the coach and CEO, ban all draft picks for 2 years and fine them $2M and put them on a suspended sentence for the next 5 years.
February 5th 2013 @ 3:07pm
Redb said | February 5th 2013 @ 3:07pm | Report comment
By the looks of it on twitter, few answers more questions. Essendon have requested ASADA involvement.
February 5th 2013 @ 3:12pm
Australian Rules said | February 5th 2013 @ 3:12pm | Report comment
This potentially massive. Hird says he is “shocked” to learn of potential wrongdoing.
We’ll wait n see…
February 5th 2013 @ 9:58pm
Nathan of Perth said | February 5th 2013 @ 9:58pm | Report comment
Has the potential to be on a par with the Storm salary cap fiasco.
February 6th 2013 @ 9:46am
zug said | February 6th 2013 @ 9:46am | Report comment
True.
I have to question here the sneaky behaviour of a few AFL clubs at the moment, and the admin’s actions.
You have this possible Essendon situation, the Demons tanking stuff, player contract salary cap issues at Adelaide.
There seems to be an unhealthy win at all costs attitude creaping in. And with Australian sports science the way it is, it is likely to go beyond the AFL to other sports.
ASADA need to come down hard on those involved.
February 5th 2013 @ 3:18pm
TomC said | February 5th 2013 @ 3:18pm | Report comment
Well, that was a terrible press conference.
Absolutely no information. First rule of PR is to try and get ahead of the story, but all Essendon have managed to do is look evasive and raise further speculation.
Day 2 of this story will be Essendon trying to deny all the wild guesses that people will make after their press conference on day 1.
February 5th 2013 @ 3:20pm
Redb said | February 5th 2013 @ 3:20pm | Report comment
My read is that the hierachy are just as shocked as the rest of us. Suggestion is the AFL requested Essendon do a presser before the wider story breaks.
Can they strip us of 11th, gee I dont know
February 5th 2013 @ 3:51pm
Australian Rules said | February 5th 2013 @ 3:51pm | Report comment
Aren’t performance enhancing drugs meant to *enhance* performance?
February 5th 2013 @ 4:11pm
Redb said | February 5th 2013 @ 4:11pm | Report comment
Yeah that’s the prevailing joke if Essendon players took PED’s it didn’t work!
February 5th 2013 @ 9:02pm
Nathan of Perth said | February 5th 2013 @ 9:02pm | Report comment
“Too much of a good thing” and all that!
February 5th 2013 @ 9:02pm
Brian said | February 5th 2013 @ 9:02pm | Report comment
They could strip Watson of a Brownlow. Obviously lots to happen before it gets to that but just sayin
February 5th 2013 @ 3:59pm
TomC said | February 5th 2013 @ 3:59pm | Report comment
I think that’s a very generous interpretation, Redb.
February 5th 2013 @ 4:56pm
Strummer Jones said | February 5th 2013 @ 4:56pm | Report comment
Fairfax are claiming they forced Essendon’s hand, quote “The AFL made tentative enquiries about the issue last month but the issue appeared to come to a head on Monday when Fairfax Media staff made enquiries with current and former Essendon staff”.
Might explain Bomber’s last quarter come back against Swans last year
February 5th 2013 @ 9:56pm
Nathan of Perth said | February 5th 2013 @ 9:56pm | Report comment
Both the nature, extensive distribution and peculiarity of their injury woes last year were without precedent. Literally never heard of any similar injury pattern. You have to look at these rumours and those results and wonder? Particularly with how savagely dangerous they were in the first half of last year!
But if it turns out that the worst case is true and there was systematic use of performance enhancers, what can the AFL do without doing serious harm to tr comp itself? I’m no Bombers fan – in fact they are amongst the clubs I hate most, but purely for the potential collateral I hope there isn’t much too this!
February 5th 2013 @ 3:51pm
adam said | February 5th 2013 @ 3:51pm | Report comment
whatever they had them on in 2012 didn’t work because they had that many soft tissue injuries, or maybe the juice they were on had a negative impact
February 5th 2013 @ 4:09pm
Redb said | February 5th 2013 @ 4:09pm | Report comment
Essendon sacked sports science dude Steve Dank last year becuase something stank.
Has a history this bloke…Hmmm see Manly.
February 5th 2013 @ 4:31pm
Australian Rules said | February 5th 2013 @ 4:31pm | Report comment
Correct. There was that calves blood extract that he was a fan of…
The bloke sounds like bad news.
February 5th 2013 @ 4:34pm
Symbolsoup said | February 5th 2013 @ 4:34pm | Report comment
I seem to remember some strange mention of Manly using calfs blood in recovery a few years ago, is this the same guy?
EDIT: Ah never mind, AR answered my question as I posted.
February 5th 2013 @ 5:24pm
Alfred Chan said | February 5th 2013 @ 5:24pm | Report comment
The injection of calf’s blood has been ok’d by the AFL assuming it has been admitted by that guy in Germany who pumped it into Max Rooke during the 2007 season. Rooke was then able to return to the team for finals and Geelong went on to win the flag.
February 5th 2013 @ 7:38pm
Brewski said | February 5th 2013 @ 7:38pm | Report comment
So Max Rooke injected Matthew Richardson blood, i bet what happened was that Rooke started having plenty of shots at goal but missing reguarly.
February 6th 2013 @ 8:31am
Timmuh said | February 6th 2013 @ 8:31am | Report comment
–deleted–
February 5th 2013 @ 6:37pm
nmj1654 said | February 5th 2013 @ 6:37pm | Report comment
After years of torment from unjustifiably arrogant Essendon supporters I can’t wait to pull out:
-See the bombers shoot up, up
-Whatever it tokes
-Whatever we take
And such.
In all seriousness though I feel for Essendon supporters and the code as a whole. It’s horrible publicity and at this stage the supporters don’t know what’s going to happen. I still won’t feel any guilt over giving them some stick back after Tommy Liberatore’s little incident last August.
February 6th 2013 @ 8:17am
Kasey said | February 6th 2013 @ 8:17am | Report comment
LOL nmj:)
I suggest that everybody ” just move along, nothing to see here.” Those poor Victorians journalists were feeling left out after supposed lesser sports like Cycling and Sockah were gaining headlines from doping and match-fixing scandals. As Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, once the AFL realised allegations of Tanking just wasn’t cutting it in the match-fixing stakes, they went the only other course…Performance Enhancing Drugs!
Now the VFL media can have something else to talk about. It was already becoming apparent in recent days given some of the comment on the Melbourne Derby from non-football columnists that running the same old: ‘the boys are looking fitter and meaner this pre-season’ stories weren’t keeping the phalanx of AFL accredited journalists in Melbourne busy enough, Thank God for a good old controversy eh, imagine the children of these poor ex- footy stars having to go without – all because dad got laid off at the Herald Sun? It would be a tragedy of the Bee Gees scale (you know: when the feeling’s gone and you can’t go on)
February 6th 2013 @ 8:45am
The_Wookie said | February 6th 2013 @ 8:45am | Report comment
yes as usual everything the AFL does is an anti soccer crusade.
February 6th 2013 @ 8:46am
Kasey said | February 6th 2013 @ 8:46am | Report comment
Geez, grow a sense of humour mate.
February 6th 2013 @ 9:11am
Redb said | February 6th 2013 @ 9:11am | Report comment
Kasey,
Funny from your posts on the soccer forum its seems you lack one.
February 6th 2013 @ 9:15am
Kasey said | February 6th 2013 @ 9:15am | Report comment
Perhaps you only find things funny when its Sockah getting the rough end of the pineapple?
See the Bombers Shoot up, up!
February 6th 2013 @ 9:38am
Redb said | February 6th 2013 @ 9:38am | Report comment
Too funny Kasey – you can’t handle it.
Go Bombers better than that rubbish you follow.
February 6th 2013 @ 9:42am
Kasey said | February 6th 2013 @ 9:42am | Report comment
And some people think football fans have no sense of humour. Oh contraire, there are lots of things we find funny. this whole incident and the Tippett incident in Adelaide are just two examples of things in sport I have found mildly amusing in the last 6 months. I also found the Graham Cornes ‘Opinion Piece’ regarding Del Piero hilarious.
February 6th 2013 @ 9:50am
Kasey said | February 6th 2013 @ 9:50am | Report comment
The ‘rubbish’ I follow is the most popular sport on the planet, please tell me how that particular sport could be so popular, yet also be called rubbish by a sports fan such as yourself?
Perhaps you just have an underdeveloped sense of taste? Don’t worry, I wasn’t particularly fond of mustard as a child.
Once my tastebuds matured, I discovered that a great many things I once thought rubbish as a child were actually very good things.
February 6th 2013 @ 10:09am
Redb said | February 6th 2013 @ 10:09am | Report comment
I’m talking about Adelaide.
February 6th 2013 @ 9:41am
The_Wookie said | February 6th 2013 @ 9:41am | Report comment
sorry, you read so many anti AFl posts – espeically when it comes to media coverage – and the jokes get missed a lot i suspect.
February 6th 2013 @ 10:21am
Kasey said | February 6th 2013 @ 10:21am | Report comment
redb, unfortunately I must agree with you, the rubbish served up by the Reds in the 2nd half of the season has made trips to Hindmarsh a fearful proposition, and not for visiting teams, for us poor home fans:( I am really hoping that the prospect of facing the hated rivals MBV encourages the lads to lift to new heights this Friday night. For football fans of all flavours, it is only hope that keeps us going!
February 6th 2013 @ 8:29pm
nmj1654 said | February 6th 2013 @ 8:29pm | Report comment
I know that the publicity for football as a sport in Australia has been rather unwelcoming but the sport has existed at grassroots levels for years and even the most ignorant of folks must acknowledge the progress the A-League has made from the ethnic-based NSL (something our good friend Johnno doesn’t understand yet).
I’m an AFL supporter first and foremost and love my Western Bulldogs more than any other sporting organisation on the planet, but I’ve developed a remarkable interest in the Victory and even the Wanderers.
Here’s hoping the respective AFL and football brigades can overcome their differences, as both are wonderful spectacles.
February 5th 2013 @ 7:29pm
mds1970 said | February 5th 2013 @ 7:29pm | Report comment
I’m in shock. It seems this Dank bloke made the players sign waivers, then gave them stuff to inject in their own time. So, because it was done off-site, no-one has any idea who did the injections & who didn’t. Incredibly stupid.
Dank looks like a dangerous loose cannon. But he’s brought the club crashing down with him.
This completes the AFL off-season from hell. Tippett, tanking, Jurrah & drugs. Thank goodness we get some footy next week – this off-season has been a disaster for footy.
February 5th 2013 @ 9:51pm
Nathan of Perth said | February 5th 2013 @ 9:51pm | Report comment
And who are the other clubs that he’s worked for (disclaimer, second hand info and not exhaustive)? Geelong and the Manly Sea Eagles…
February 5th 2013 @ 10:30pm
The_Wookie said | February 5th 2013 @ 10:30pm | Report comment
Geelong issued a statement bloody quick too.
February 6th 2013 @ 9:41am
The_Wookie said | February 6th 2013 @ 9:41am | Report comment
Gold Coast Suns as well apparently
February 5th 2013 @ 8:00pm
yewonk said | February 5th 2013 @ 8:00pm | Report comment
just getting out my red tipping pen and running a line through the bombers, thanks for coming better luck next year.
February 5th 2013 @ 8:57pm
F. Green said | February 5th 2013 @ 8:57pm | Report comment
The only absolutely truthful comment from the press conference, James Hird “We certainly don’t want to be here talking about this”.