I picked myself up off the floor and read it again trying to hold back the laughter.
The Ziggy Switkowski report stated that the Essendon AFL club doctor, Bruce Reid had detailed in a letter to the Essendon board serious concerns about the drug supplement program run by Dean Robinson and Stephen Dank, but the Essendon club management and its chairman David Evans have never seen any letter and have no idea where that letter ended up.
There were other letters and emails and they didn’t get to the board either.
Why didn’t the doctor just arrange a meeting with the chairman or other members of the board and tell them in person what was going on?
Unbelievably, we also learned that there is a ”lack of clarity” about who actually ran the football department and who is accountable for the rapid diversification into exotic supplements, the increased number of injections, use of off-site injection rooms, the emergence of unfamiliar drug suppliers and the marginalisation and loss of control by the Bombers medical staff.
Could this all be bizarrely true or is this just another attempt at a cover up by an AFL club?
The AFL press has always written that the game of AFL is doing very well. If you say it often enough you soon believe it.
The AFL of course has their own AFL Media Department, with more journalists than Fairfax media.
Whenever there is a crisis in AFL, the Media Department circles its wagons and reassures all that everything is well and there is nothing to worry about.
Is this protectionism leading to a management culture in AFL where they believe they are invincible and have little need to be accountable for their actions?
David Evans was always going to fall on his sword, but what is Andrew Demetriou’s role in all this and what is his level of accountability.
Evans says the buck stops with him, but as its likely that Essendon is not the only AFL club being investigated for performance enhancing drug abuse, should Demetriou have to face the music?
What exactly was Demetriou aware of?
As he says, did he really have no knowledge that AFL clubs under his control were abusing their responsibilities as an AFL club and lacked accountability for their actions to themselves, their club and its players and fans.
In one sense, that’s why Andrew Demetriou has such tight control of the AFL and its media department. Not only to protect the game, but to protect himself.
Where others see mountainous challenges and labyrinthine complexities and keep falling off their chairs, Demetriou remains seated. He keeps it simple, lifts confidence and has a proven ability for building successful AFL clubs of what where once rubbish suburban VFL teams.
No, so far as Andrew’s concerned, it’s more complex than we mortals could ever imagine and that’s why he needs to be in control.
Just as the AFL was once the answer to the VFL, the AFL Media Department is the answer to the AFL.
It’s brilliant stuff if you believe anything is possible, which Andrew obviously does.
Will this cause any significant damage to the Essendon AFL club, Demetriou or the AFL itself? I doubt it.
Although the numbers are down on their best years, the fans are still out there in lemming-like droves baying for blood to be spilt on the hallowed MCG turf, screaming as loud as they can through their serpentine striped woollen scarfs and turban like beanies, that not only keep out the cold, but also let people know who they are and what they stand for.
No, Andrew will continue to be revered as “the greatest sports administrator this country has ever seen”.
As soon as it all blows over, the AFL Media department will be back to shipping out more AFL feel good stories than the Australian media can handle.
So here we are again, just like the last time and the time before that, smoke pouring out the back of the AFL world-domination machine, pretending there’s nothing to worry about. Just keep the juggernaut going at all costs.
On the surface it all sounds like terribly serious investigative sports journalism.
It’s not.
Peter Wilson
Roar Guru
What "unproven stuff" or "uninformed speculation"? The Essendon CEO has already admitted to anything referred to in this article.
oikee
Guest
Nice spin. Rugby league is the biggest code by far in the 2 biggest eastern states, see i can spin nicely as well. State of origin is the biggest sporting event between states in Australia, unequaled in Australian sport. It is just spin, i still want Demetriou to run rugby league, our spin doctors are second rate. hehe
King Robbo
Guest
Daren, when the eagles came in WAFL crowds were dropping alarmingly (as wer the vfl crowds). They didnt even pack out subi for the 1986 wafl grand final (38,000). In the early 80s they were getting 50k to gfs. I remember the avg crowd at eagles games were not that great in the late 80s either. It was great work of brian cook and then trevor nisbet that made the eagles a powerhouse. The dockers were a financial basket case too early on but grew once they get rid of damien drum and were run properly.
Australian Rules
Guest
The Bledisloe will rightly be an 80k+ crowd every year...as will Origin...they're one-off events. It's the week to week attendances that butters your bread...for clubs anyway.
Avon River
Guest
Anthony....the irony. You speak of sweeping under the carpet. And then criticise the AFL regarding issues that are anything but swept under the carpet. Point to illustrate. Drugs. Of the illicit kind. The AFL is the only code of the group inc Cricket Aust,NRL, AFL & AIS - that only the AFL annually publicly releases results and testing numbers. How is that swept under the carpet? The AFL racial vilification policy saw the AFL rated as a world leader such that ib 2008 Cricket Australia sought to have the ICC in troduce a similar model based on that. Perhaps you feel that confidential mediation is sweeping under the carpet. Perhaps you feel you need to know every detail? I dunno where you're coming from other than anti AFL.
me, I like football
Guest
Fahey is a well known Rugby league supporter.
Bondy
Are you in direct competition with Perth Glory for viewership ?. No, Only if they make the GF. The Swans are the highest attended "I did know that" which illustrates sports don't have mortgages over constituents, Interesting also I believe the biggest crowd for a sporting event annually in Sydney is for non other than you guessed it Rugby a Bledisloe cup match about 80 k will turn out for that. Its a dangerous sports market here ,very fast and loose and hard to control. I have to say although Pete's article is a tad heavy , you generally don't read print like this about afl.
Australian Rules
Guest
oikee, last week you were saying the NRL should head-hunt Demetriou to run the NRL.
Redb
Roar Guru
I get the gist of your Fitzroy comment, I've been attending far less of their games and going to others. ;)
Australian Rules
Guest
I don't think anyone's suggesting that Australian footy dominates the east coast...but the Swans have the highest attendance of any sports club in Sydney; the Crows and Power have the biggest crowds in Adelaide; WCE and Freo have the biggest crowds in Perth and the Lions have the 3rd biggest crowds in Queensland. Not too shabby. The only "pro sport" that doesn't exist in Perth is rugby league.
oikee
Guest
AFL remind me of labor, come september all will become clear. They are the pinocchio's and Demetriou must be constantly sawing off the end of his nose. A team in Wellington, third team in Sydney, what next, a team in Nauru.
Bondy
Somebody's mentioned here the level of support for the game in Perth and Adelaide, its very solid support,ironically it cant be said for the east coast though,when you have a greater option of pro sports in that region to watch or play that's where afl starts to lag. There are no pro sports for the afl to go up against in Perth or Adelaide in winter unless you consider the western force to be a serious sporting club. The A League gets more oxygen in Sydney than afl.
Redb
Roar Guru
milf, Seems our girlfriend has failed to grasp much at all.
oikee
Guest
Interesting story. I normally dont do this, but i happened to go look at the Melbourne newspapers today to see what all the fuss was about. And what treated me and was immediately in my face was not the news, but story after story of AFL . Melbourne as a city might have nothing much to talk about except AFL stories 24/7, but other cites have a life. Brisvegas is the place to be. As down south falls into no growth secession, qld is booming. The last thing on our minds is afl. More properganda today, Sheedy sprucing a third afl team in sydney, wait for it, in 15 years. This was after they sprouted Wellington for a team, just before the NZ prime minister told everyone this week that Wellington was dying. hehe, you have to laugh. Wonder if dying Wellington will want a NRL team after this weekend and 25 thousand turn up to Dogs warriors. ? hehe
Redb
Roar Guru
Exactly.
Redb
Roar Guru
I think the most laughable thing is the author's belief that AFL Media are controlling the news cycle. :) No AFL media write for the Age, Herald Sun, TV networks, ABC news,etc They write for the AFL website. Tin Foil Hat.
Redb
Roar Guru
Bang!
Australian Rules
Guest
Rather than just rely on Peter Wilson's word, let's hear what John Fahey, President of WADA, think sbaout how the AFL is handling the ongoing investigations: "The AFL has conducted inquires and they've acknowledged they have a problem. What a breath of fresh air that is. From what I am seeing as a casual observer, that is not happening in Sydney with rugby league. I wish I could see the same leadership in Sydney as I see in Melbourne." (I couldn't find a quote of Fahey criticising the size of the AFL Media department.)
Australian Rules
Guest
Peter, don't back away from your colours like that. The opening line of your "article" says it all.
Australian Rules
Guest
Good post again Jax. Why is Peter Wilson so outraged at the number of staff at AFL Media? What's he's really angry about?