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It all went wrong for ASADA the second they rushed into having that press conference in February 2013 with no evidence.
Today, it seems that the only evidence in this 18-month investigation, is that ASADA have little or none.
Rugby league fans have had to put up with this ASADA investigation hanging over everybody’s head for almost two seasons, and the majority got sick of hearing about it a long time ago.
Now, ASADA have handed out what is effectively a three-match ban to 10 NRL players for their involvement in the supplements program at the Cronulla Sharks in 2011.
They call it a 12-month ban, backdated to November of 2013. All these players have been playing the 2014 season, when they have been ‘banned’, and a couple in last year’s World Cup Campaign. Paul Gallen and Jeremy Smith will miss the Four Nations, and various players from other clubs will miss finals series.
This is a complete mess, and it is insulting for every fan and player who has been dragged through the dirt over the past 18 months.
While sport can be a very subjective topic, one thing can be agreed on – nobody has time for drug cheats. Two years isn’t enough, a life ban is appropriate, obviously depending on the circumstances.
The Sharks claim that they had been taking peptides under the instruction of the coaching staff.
If this is the case, every single person within the Cronulla Sharks coaching staff should be banned for life, and the players who took the drugs should still cop a hefty ban. The fact of the matter is, these players took performance-enhancing drugs.
ASADA aren’t the type of organisation to go easy on athletes. They make deals with these 10 players that they can cop a three-week suspension if they admit they took these substances under the instruction of the club, and if they assist with the investigation.
This tells me that either ASADA basically gave up, or they have no evidence – most likely both. Why would they give players the option to take a ridiculous cut on the mandatory two-year suspension?
Why don’t ASADA just give the information to the NRL so they can permanently ban these cheating staff members forever?
This isn’t about who took what drug, who’s guilty and who’s not. It is simply questioning what progress ASADA have made in 18 months.
Besides the suspension of Sandor Earl, we have heard news stories about it every day with absolutely no progress.
It turned from “the darkest day in Australian sport” to a regular appearance on the news that fans got used to.
And now they come up with three-week bans. It is insulting.
This ASADA investigation has done nothing but tarnish the great game of rugby league, and now they give three-week bans on supposed evidence that they might have?
It has turned into a complete joke.
The three-week ban is simply because these players may have taken something, but there is little or no evidence. So just in case, to save face, ASADA hand out these soft bans.
I wonder if the same sequence of events would have taken place if the Sharks were in finals contention.
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