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Ever since Jason Clare and Kate Lundy told the nation “This is the blackest day in Australian sport,” the outlook has only grown darker.
We were told 18 months ago that drug taking among our elite sportsmen was “rife,” and subsequently Essendon and Cronulla were the worst.
If it’s “rife”, and that’s a sweeping statement, what are other clubs or codes are involved?
None have surfaced in 18 months, so “rife” appears a sensationalist statement.
In those 18 months it has been tough to draw many positives. It’s been 18 months of negativity, and it’s felt like a lose-lose-lose situation.
I’m not going to cover those 18 months, as you have heard it all before, and sporting fans have had a gut-full of the saga.
But I am going to show, quite simply, how all this rubbish could have been avoided, and how it should be in the future.
For starters – and this is key – the head coach of any team must shoulder the total responsibility of their players.
It must fall under their duty of care.
Not the president nor the CEO, or any other official – it is the head coach who is in daily contact with a squad.
If and when any outside influence approaches the head coach with medication to “make the team perform better,” the head coach should immediately take a sample of that “product” to ASADA for testing.
If the “product” is passed by ASADA the head coach has covered his butt, shown appropriate care to his players’ welfare and career, and every player can have full confidence in taking the “product”.
If ASADA knocks back said “product,” it can move to make immediate contact with the seller and take appropriate action.
In short, it’s win-win for everybody.
The suggestion will never replace random drug testing, because there will always be players that are drawn take banned substances independent of their club or coach’s knowledge.
When those individuals are caught, throw the book at them, and their suppliers, because they will exist outside the ASADA-head coach blanket of security.
Drugs will continue to be an issue in sport, there’s no way of eliminating that fact.
But by teaming up with head-coaches, we would have a stronger foundation of co-operation for a common cause.
This is just one step, but it could go a long way towards bridging the gap.