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Sports scientist Stephen Dank has been found not guilty of three charges related to banned substance Thymosin Beta 4 by the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal.
Dank was found guilty on ten other charges.
The tribunal was reportedly not satisfied that Dank was guilty of administering or attempting to administer Thymosin Beta 4. He was also found not guilty of assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting or covering up the administration of the banned substance to Essendon players during his time at the Bombers in 2012.
Dank has been at the centre of Essendon’s controversial supplements program in 2012 since ASADA and the Australian Crime Commission made the announcement in 2013.
He said in an interview to Fairfax Media that he had administered the players Thymosin Beta 4, but later clarified that he was referring to the drug known as Thymomodulin, which is not banned under the WADA code.
Thymosin Beta 4 is banned under the WADA code.
The tribunal’s decision follows the call made last month to clear 34 current and former Essendon players of taking the peptide. The tribunal found there was insufficient evidence presented by ASADA that the players were administered the drug.
ASADA has been waiting for the Tribunal’s verdict on Dank to see whether they would appeal the decisions. They have until Tuesday to decide on whether they will appeal the verdict of the Tribunal. WADA also have a right to appeal the judgement.
Patrick Keane from the AFL made the following statement:
“AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal Chairman David Jones today notified the AFL of the decision involving the Essendon FC support person [Dank].”
“The Tribunal has found that the former Essendon support person has been found guilty of 10 breaches of the AFL Anti-Doping Code.
“The breaches include trafficking, attempting to traffick and complicity in matters related to a range of prohibited substances.
“A hearing on sanction will be held on Tues May 5, 2015.”
The hearing to decide the sanctions will be held on May 5.
Full statement from the AFL:
The AFL General Counsel Andrew Dillon today received the decision of the AFL Anti- Doping Tribunal this afternoon, in the matter of the former Essendon Football Club support person.
The Tribunal has found that the former Essendon support person has been found guilty of 10 breaches of the AFL Anti-Doping Code.
The breaches include trafficking, attempting to traffick and complicity in matters related to a range of prohibited substances.
The prohibited substances are:
· Hexarelin
· Humanofort – namely Insulin Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), Insulin Growth Factor 2 (IGF – 2), Mechano Growth Factor (MGF), Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF), Follistatin and Thymosin Beta 4
· CJC-1295
· GHRP6
· SARMSMr Dillon said the Tribunal had advised the AFL a decision on sanction would be made at hearing on Tuesday May 5.
Mr Dillon said the case had been the most complex ever tried by the AFL Tribunal and, on behalf of the AFL, he wished to thank the Tribunal Chairman, David Jones, and members John Nixon and Wayne Henwood for their work.
“The circumstances surrounding the case have been extremely difficult, given the amount of information and the number of parties involved, and the professionalism and diligence of the Tribunal has been greatly appreciated by the AFL.”
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