Lack of detail in the Australian Crime Commission’s (ACC) report is an “extraordinary attack on Australian sport”, according to senior rugby league figure Phil Gould.
Penrith general manager Gould, whose NRL club is being investigated by the league’s independent auditors, was one of several sports identities to criticise the ACC on Friday for its broad-brush approach that tarnished all players.
Gould said it was unfair for the ACC to outline widespread doping in Australian professional sport and links to organised crime without providing more clarity.
“This report from the Crime Commission is full of words like maybe, could be, suspected and potential,” Gould told Channel 9.
“Nobody has been named, no club has been named and no sport has been named.
“It’s a broad-brush condemnation of Australian sport everywhere.
“At the moment, everyone is guilty and I’m not sure, even if they find pockets of illegality, how you repair the integrity of everyone else who is in fact innocent.”
NSW State of Origin coach Laurie Daley, in Brisbane for the NRL All-Stars game, said it was sad that every professional athlete had been “tarnished”.
“Until you know more detail, I’m like everyone else – I am left in the dark a little bit,” Daley said.
“You’d like to know what the charges are or where we actually sit in terms of what’s been revealed …until you really know, it’s all speculation.”
Injured Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins said the ACC’s report had yet to temper his belief that cricket was clean and hoped the public agreed.
“99 per cent of people woke up the same this morning – they’re not worried and, as far as I know, everyone in cricket is feeling exactly that,” the teenager said at the SCG ahead of the one-day international.
“Here at cricket, I’ve never seen anything that’s closely related to what they were talking about yesterday.”
Ex-president of AFL club Hawthorn Jeff Kennett said “you can’t just slam and slur everyone”, while former Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos believed the ACC should do more to improve the reputation of clean athletes and sports.
Roos said there was no need to name names in the investigation but there must be clarity on just how widespread the problem is.
“It’s made a blanket statement,” Roos told Fairfax Radio.
“I would have liked to have heard ‘look we have 35 examples across four codes. We’re not going to give any details of names clearly because we’re still investigating’.
“Obviously there must be some logic behind what they did but certainly it sort of throws everyone in the pot.”
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd also spoke out about the issue.
“The core challenge now is to establish the facts – which players, which clubs?” Rudd told the Seven Network.
nopuritan
Guest
nah it's makeup - all clowns wear it
Andy_Roo
Roar Guru
Gould's face and hair issues might be side effects from PIED's that he may have been taking
turbodewd
Roar Guru
I just want to know if the ACC covered 2 shocking RL issues - the state of Phil Gould's face and his hair.
Brewski
Guest
@ Karlos, When did Essendon admit that they have a problem, and FWIU the report is mainly dealing with match fixing, and that has certainly been a NRL problem.
karlos
Guest
Why did the the focus go from an AFL club (who have admitted a problem) to the NRL clubs so quickly (immeadiately). There has been no mention as far as I know of any Rugby Union club being looked at. Same old same old. The NRL have had a far more tougher on drugs and behaviour than other codes due to the unfair negative media focus on our game and this is a continuence of that. Nothing more. How can they say it is widespread when they contnually found nothing or no-one for year?. More of a case of a kick up the backside following Lance Armstrong.
nopuritan
Guest
gould is engaging in cognitive dissonance. his opinion has no value as he is an overt supporter of gambling and by association the corruption that is an integral part of this "industry".
The Barry
Roar Guru
It's absolutely wrong to smear every code, club and player in Australia. Every professional sportsperson has had their reputation and integrity questioned. If the ACC has evidence then name specific players and clubs. If they don't have evidence - well how can you tag everyone ? If the evidence isn't enough to go public with - then don't go public until you've built a case. Regardless of who and how many are guilty this approach of the ACC of tainting all sports and athletes is pathetic.
Blaze
Guest
Which clubs have you heard about? -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
GoGWS
Roar Guru
Well some flesh is being put on the bones going by this morning's reports...and there was always flesh on the bones anyway in terms of confidential briefings to the NRL. Going on what is online now it seems this whole investigation is mainly around six NRL clubs.
Billo
Guest
I have now read the ACC report in full, and it seems to consist mainly of "ifs, buts and maybes". As a general rule, when a government is in trouble, it puts out a smokescreen, diverting attention from itself to other easy targets. Apparently the leaders of the various football codes were press-ganged into attending the announcement with the Sports Minister. Until we get some flesh to put on the bones of this report, I won't be convinced that it isn't simply a Machiavellian manoeuvre by an unpopular government.
Bearfax
Guest
McCarthyism. Witch hunt in progress. All those known to have questionable associations will be prosecuted, burned at the stake, placed on the rack, thumb screws. And I thought the Inquisition had been booted. Instead its obviously been rebooted
PA
Guest
Why did they come out with this press conference? to 'shake the tree'.... 'throw mud n see what sticks' and now they have opened up a dob in a druggy hotline? Seems like they have Nothing! , otherwise why haven't charges been laid?.Very Poor,....is this Gillard at work?
Von Neumann
Roar Guru
Indeed. Gould is wrong, plain wrong. He is so one eyed, if players went on a mass murder spree I bet he would put it down to "the fish bowel lifestyle and the pressures of playing the modern game"
Von Neumann
Roar Guru
Like always, we should disregard phil gould, like most people do. Also, note that he is actually implicated by association, like paul roos and all the others, even the cricket player they talked to, in this whole thing. Is it any wonder they are trying to discredit what the commission did? Whether they are guilty or not (and I dont for a moment think these guys are) it still does not change their personal bias and choice to defend what they have invested so much into. I think to admit otherwise (that their players were dopers - and I dont think they are) would cause severe phsycological damage, not in the least feelings of worthlessness and apathy. So, all I am saying is, you can't exactly trust them to give you the right perspective......though I will admit to wayne bennett saying it best, good on you wayne. Still, you probably even can't talk to him, though I would definitely take on board what he said. No doubt drugs are much better than they previously were in some regards, but in others, I bet they are worse. This whole systematic arrangement from outside criminal sources is truly horrible. For this reason alone, gould should have been in support of the commission, while only trying to get across his club was ok. He always oversteps the mark. Just like his commentary.
Bazzio
Roar Guru
Gould attacks everything he hears. Period.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
I agree - this is about the only thing I can recall Gould every saying that makes an sense. It seems though that the NRL does have more details from additional briefings and they have started the process. As a general comment, and maybe I'm naive, but in practice I find it hard to imagine how a crime figure could influence the outcome of an individual AFL game - there are 22 players in the team and even if you bought off a few players to play below their best there's no guarantees that that would make much of a difference to the final result. Just saying... I think 'micro-bets' in AFL are more open to manipulation, e.g. betting on the first goal scorer etc.. I can see how micro-bets might be open to manipulation but the outcome of an AFL game itself is pretty impractical to rig from a player's point of view....when we have seen suspected tanking in the AFL the focus has been on the coaching staff making strange tactical decisions rather than players not trying (e.g. coaches playing players out of position etc).... I think NRL are possibly easier to rig because it's easier to imagine paying off a few key players to make sure a team did not win (e.g. pay off key try scorers to make sure that if they are ever open they knock on 'accidentally').... Anyway this will be interesting to see how it plays out...
Bearfax
Guest
Sorry but in this case I feel Gould is right, and I rarely agree with Gould. To me there has been a lot of generalised innuendos and suggestions about illicit activities without evidence being put forward. Sounds very much to me that the authorities have little and are going on a witch hunt besmirching players and clubs alike. Clubs are being demeaned by a process in which they cannot answer because the allegations have been made without apparent evidence being forthcoming, only suspicions. I'm opposed to illicit drug use generally and in sport as much as the next person. But the authorities in such a public issue have to come clean themselves and say what they've got and either indicate that there is something untoward with a club or player or they are clean. This hidden process seemingly with no evidence to reveal is damaging to everyone. Shaking trees may be a way of getting people to talk but it can only go so far before harm is done to the innocent,and that is not what the legal system is about. If you've got something, get on with it, so the rest of us can get on with enjoyed our sport.
Roarsome
Guest
I hear there's corruption, bribery and blackmail inside the ACC with possible links to potential terrorist cells and suspected alien life forms. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
nopuritan
Guest
nice smokescreen Gus.