It is hard not to feel sorry for the Essendon squad of 2012, the players were simply a by-product of one of the biggest AFL scandals in history.
The blame should be placed solely on the Bombers’ management, not the innocent players.
AFL chief medical officer Dr Peter Harcourt said he was shocked that the players let this happen.
“Athletes passively accepted the use (of the supplements) – this shocked us,” he said. “Players did not jack up and say ‘what the hell is going on’.”
Football clubs, let alone professional AFL clubs, can be intimidating. The old notion of staying quiet and working hard certainly still rings true.
AFL players are there simply to play football and they are not going to risk their reputation at the club by speaking out against high figures. Their performances, both on and off the field, dictate how long they will be able to make a career out of football. It is their main priority and they should be able to have full trust in the authority figures at the club.
Players from other sides have admitted to taking substances unknown to them, such is their faith to those distributing them at the club.
There was also an element of ‘fan syndrome’ at the Bombers. The leadership within the club were respected ex-players who have achieved plenty in the game, making the task of raising concerns even more daunting.
Because the players were given such exotic supplements – many with growth factors – they will need to be monitored over the next five to ten years for any health issues. Surely that is punishment in itself?
It will be an injustice if the Bombers players are given suspensions as a result of the supplements regimen.
Follow Jackson on Twitter @jclark182
Momentbymoment
Guest
Id be supporting the players not the administrators ...
Bosk
Guest
Good luck finding a non-Essendon supporter these days who ISN'T anti-Essendon.
Bosk
Guest
Sorry, but if you allow players to get away with using banned drugs under the guise that "they didn't know what they were given" you essentially give coaches and medical staff free license to dope their players to high heaven knowing they'll remain protected under the guise of plausible deniability. This is precisely why athletes are responsible for what enters their bodies under the WADA code.
Casper
Guest
'Supporters have let them down as well by supporting the club". What a crazy comment. Real supporters support a club no matter what. Last nights performance proved what an incredible club they are.
Momentbymoment
Guest
The club has let the players down and the supporters have let them down as well by supporting the club. All they had to do was own up, take a voluntary suspension and move on. This could have been over already and we could all get back to enjoying the game.
Cat
Roar Guru
Bring it on.
Mark
Guest
Weapon at Geelong is evidence enough to proceed with a thorough investigation. Hope you have all of the paperwork. Doubt it given that Geelong is one of the 12 that failed the governance test.
Michelle
Guest
Surely the 6 months is off the table with the club and Hird taking ASADA to court, players haven't joined the case but still stand to benefit if they are successful. But if investigation is up held players will cop the full whack I suspect.
Cat
Roar Guru
"... it's legal now" Thats all we need to know. Move on.
Cat
Roar Guru
What if the Sun went dark tomorrow? What if the sky turned purple? What if whatever. Who the hell cares, nothing you say will change whether Essendon is guilty or not. Even if another club did something wrong, it does not make Essendon right. Doesn't matter if 17 clubs did something wrong, Essendons guilt or innocence does not change. If you want to cast actual doubt on another club come up with some real evidence, like email conversations, text messages, purchase receipts etc. otherwise its just yet another attempt to obfuscate and deflect.
Mark
Guest
You're definitely anti Essendon Gene... cant help yourself. Keep sinking the boots in mate, but make sure that you don't hurt your foot. How about if WADA decided to ban what Rooke was injected with (which is definitely performance enhancing by the way) and in addition to the Catchall, decided to introduce retrospective assessment and penalties. This has occurred with the racing industry, where a substance called blue magic was retrospectively tested and horses and trainers were disqualified. The retrospective assessment was also considered by WADA when the catchall was introduced in 2011. There were positive swabs for Lance Armstrong using EPO prior to EPO officially being banned. You make EFC sound so bad and you and your beloved cats are so self righteous, Don't think so mate... you had the weapon down there in 2007.
Mark
Guest
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/guerras-injections-of-blood-ok-20120907-25jxe.html Pain killing injections should be banned because they provide obvious performance enhancement. Teddy Richards cant walk and has his 15 and runs like a man possessed. Why is this not performance enhancing.
Cat
Roar Guru
Want to call me anti-essendon go ahead, I could care less, but I have been consistent from day one. I want the truth, if the players were given banned substances, rub them out. I don't care how it happened, whether it was intentional or a mistake, I don't care if the players signed ambiguous consent forms. I don't care if Demetrio tipped off Essendon, I don't care how long it takes, I don't care what Hirds paid for spin doctors say, I don't care about any of the myriad BS attempts to distract from the only thing that matters in all of this. Did they or did they not have or attempt to have banned substances in their systems?
Mark
Guest
And WADA needs to be consistent in its assessment. Similar items should be tested at the same time...e.g Activogen and TB4 and they should either both be banned or not banned. And injected one way is legal and other way is illegal. This leads to mass confusion.
Mark
Guest
I believe the biggest issue is the catchall S0 category. This creates a mine field. As science evolves and treatments for health and well being evolve, more and more substances are being placed into common food and drinks. How can a player know exactly what they can and can't have? There is just too much out there. A substance should be either banned or it is not. If banned it should be placed onto the S2 list. Every banned item should be clearly stated. The responsibility for player welfare should be kept to other authorities that specialize in the health aspects. WADA should be performance enhancing only. If ASADA is unable to perform its investigations in a more discrete manner (like the AFL does with the illicit drugs), I agree that the AFL should undertake its own jurisdiction. ASADA has been a huge distraction to the AFL competition and didn't need to operate that way. ASADA should not be grandstanding and so much in the public eye. If it is to exist, it should be as discrete as ASIO.
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
My coach was a legend of (insert sport here) , and when he told me it was legal I believed him. I could hardly go against what (insert legend's name here) said when he told me that the injections were necessary. Seems like a legit excuse to me. We should apply that principle across all sports. As long as the coach says it's legal, then it is.
Bobbo7
Guest
I feel for the players but you can't make exceptions or everyone will be doping and blaming mum. Hird and his team did this to the players. They ate yo blame and they should all be banned from AFL. Simple as that
Cat
Roar Guru
Specifically what rules are being broken? Source on this alleged blood movement?
Mark
Guest
In the meantime, players from all clubs are being injected with painkillers 5-10 times prior to each game and Hawthorn is undertaking a massive blood movement program for all of its players. And that's ok right?
Mark
Guest
Does GFC usually hire guys like Robinson who's best mates are Dank and Charter? After all, it was McCarthy and Thompson that highly recommended Robinson and they previously coached at which club?