For a week now, the back pages have been slathered in sporting drug scandals across all three oval-ball codes. But unlike the sporting drug scandals of the recent ASADA investigation, the drugs in question are not performance-enhancing.
This time, the alleged drug use has not been sanctioned, administered or encouraged by the club. And this time, the penalties for the players involved could even be much more significant.
But with several careers – and even the future of one club – in limbo, it might not be a good time to ask, but here goes. Does anyone actually care? And if you do care, why?
Does anyone care about footballers taking recreational drugs? Does anyone care that a handful of Titans players allegedly possessed or supplied cocaine at a buck’s party, a private event – one that you were probably not invited to anyway?
Does anyone care that Karmichael Hunt allegedly handled cocaine somewhere in and around the end of his Gold Coast Suns AFL contract, a time when he was nowhere near a footy field, a sponsor’s tent or kids on a primary school autograph day?
And if you really do care – should the players be looking at the types of punishments they are when compared to other ‘footballer indiscretions’?
Robert Lui’s second attack on his partner – both of which took place on the night after Lui’s Wests Tigers were eliminated from the finals series – brought about a one-year ban from the NRL. He walked straight into a contract with the Cowboys.
Russell Packer spent a year in prison for stomping on a man’s head in Martin Place. He walked out of jail and onto the training paddock with the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Without knowing the identities of the people in question, if you had a choice of having a beer with someone charged with alleged low level drug possession and supply, violence against women or violence in general, it’d be safe to say Russell and Robert would be getting fewer invites than Karmichael, Greg and Dave.
Paul Gallen was found guilty of using banned peptides. His penalty was a backdated ban which effectively ruled him out of three matches. The NRL paid $80,000 towards his court costs. Gallen’s mate Greg Bird would kill for a similar sentence from the NRL in relation to his new allegations.
And to be clear on the issue of supply. It would be ludicrous to suggest that, all this time, guys like Hunt and Bird have been using their position as footballers to grow a drug empire – hiding in plain sight in a manner Walter White and Gus Fring would be proud of. It’s just not the case, at all.
Under Queensland drug laws, supply is a “wide legal term”. The term would include “giving one of your pills to a friend” without monetary benefit. If beer was a Schedule 1 or Schedule 2 drug, buying a six pack and sharing it with your mates during the game would make you a supplier – as well as guilty of possession.
While allegedly being involved in it is not a smart thing for a professional footballer to do, when compared to the other three broad categories of footballing misbehaviour – violence, particularly against women, match fixing, and alcohol-related idiocy – it would be hard to find grounds to be truly morally offended.
Players have been caught with recreational drugs for as long as players have been taking recreational drugs. And, aside from your run-of-the-mill Ben Cousins driving the wrong way down the highway with several different pills and powders on the passenger seat, this has usually been in a pretty discreet manner.
At a bar, a barbecue, in a backyard. Not really in plain sight and not really directly hurting anyone.
It would be foolish to suggest that there is a higher or even equal rate of penetration of drug use among footballers than among the general society. Spend three minutes in any nightclub toilet in any Australian capital city and you’ll realise it.
Anyone in their 20s who disagrees is either lying, or frightfully naive in thinking that each of those three men leaving a toilet cubicle together are suffering from hayfever.
The patrons know it, the bouncers know it, the police know it and the club staff know it. The club owners certainly know it – and charge $7 for a bottle of water knowing that they need to make up for the lack of beer sales somehow.
Even so-called softer drugs like marijuana – which has an Australia wide penetration of just under two thirds for adults in their 30s and is legal in many jurisdictions – is off limits for athletes.
As Arj Barker says in the following video, even Michael Phelps isn’t allowed a cheeky bong hit after winning 18 gold medals.
Musicians, actors and even politicians talk openly about drug use and are sometimes celebrated for it. So why do we care about athletes?
Current President of the United States Barack Obama admitted past cocaine use during his campaign. The admission was largely uncontroversial outside of conservative wacko circles (the same circles who were aware of but publicly denied the chronic cocaine use and possible arrest of his predecessor George W Bush).
Bill Clinton said he smoked weed but didn’t inhale and no-one believed him. Kevin Rudd said he hasn’t smoked and everyone believed him, because it would be hard to imagine Rudd knowing which end of a bong to suck on.
Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard admitted trying it. Future Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said ‘yes, yes, yes’ to chuckles from the audience when he was asked on Q and A. While current Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he also didn’t inhale.
And if you’re against athletes taking drugs because you’re against drugs, then that’s a position that is solid and can be justified. Drugs can destroy lives. Drugs are illegal. Your mum said they were bad and she was right about the making a funny face and wind changing thing, so it’s probably best to trust her.
Drugs do support death, drug cartels, corruption and oppressive regimes far away – as pointed out by former cocaine user and Blur member Alex Jones in his BBC documentary – so drug use indirectly supports that. It’s a noble and justifiable position to take, but if you don’t want to support death and oppression far away, you probably need to take a closer look at where your smartphone is made, where they have nets on the sides of the building.
Maybe you just don’t like drugs, or don’t understand why people would take them.
Perhaps I am wrong, and sportspeople shouldn’t be held to the same standards as actors, rockstars, and politicians in their younger years. Perhaps because they use their body as athletes, therefore kids look up to them (because they totally don’t look up to rockstars) and that puts them in a different category.
As a sports fan, very little matters to me about what the players get up to off the pitch, mainly because I know what similar men their age get up to off the pitch. If I am watching a winger fly to the air to take a chip kick, I care little about what he is taking off the field – provided that thing doesn’t help him fly through the field any more than a player who is not taking it.
And anyone who suggests that cocaine, weed or ecstasy enhances sporting performance, clearly has not taken cocaine, marijuana or ecstasy.
As a sports fan, the only justification I can really find for being outraged by player drug use is a selfish one. If I was a Reds fan, I would probably be annoyed that our new signing – one who was supposed to play an important role this season – has hurt our premiership chances because he got high.
If I was a Titans fan, I would be upset with the players for putting not just this season, but the club’s future in jeopardy, because they got high. And does anyone really need another reason to be upset with Greg Bird? There’s plenty already.
As Andrew Webster said in the Sydney Morning Herald, drug use by players is not representative of footballers, of hits to the head, and has probably little to do with excess time and disposable income. It’s reflective of men from 17-34 in society.
If Malcolm Turnbull and Barack “I inhaled frequently, that was the point” Obama can elicit chuckles from an audience, why do we hang our footballers out to dry for drug offences?
Maybe it’s just reflective of me, my experiences and my social circles, but if, in 2015 you are really outraged by what’s happened this week, have you really considered why?
Outoftown
Guest
One reason these blokes are on the okey doke is because of modern professional systems in place. Skin fold test and alcohol bans have pretty much stopped the boys getting on the piss to unwind. Rock up to work after a big weekend on the piss and your boss can smell you a mile away, then he checks your fitness and fat folds and it's off to remedial training for you. After a weekend binge on the charley and you might be a little tired and, for some people a little depressed, but you might have lost a bit of weight and certainly not gained any, but the biggest reason is it is incredibly fun and leaves your system after 48 hours, completely.. Any form of employment which has mandatory drug testing, and a decent income, pro athletes, mining, maritime etc I can guarantee when they're on a break they're nose deep. As far as the main point of the article, let their work punishment reflect their criminal punishment, if any, and no I don't care. As far as drugs ruining lives, well so do a lot of things and you'll always have someone with a personal reason for championing the anti drug fight, and if you've lost someone then I feel for your pain and hope taking up the cause brings you some peace. Like I already said why should their employer judge them more harshly than societies court system.
Iwillnotstandby
Guest
While I can see the point of most of your premises, your observation about smart phones and suicide nets as a comparison to the torture and murder by drug cartels ( often innocent bystanders taken by mistake), is facile. Sure government sanctioned commercial slavery is a serious issue but it is an order of magnitude less damaging than the supply and distribution of so called recreational drugs. Drugs which are shown to have long term health impacts. That said, decriminalisation and government control would be a great step forward too.
Lano
Roar Guru
I think all Roarers want to hear more of your (burning poppies) Afgan exploits grapeseed. As to relevance for this site, file it under "Pitch maintenance- how to deal with miscellaneous vegetation"
grapeseed
Guest
Yep, my only fear in this is a patronising, disingenuous teary apology sighting depression, lack of maternal hugs, overabundance of paternal hugs, fear of climate change, etc.
peter hughes
Guest
Danwighton. As a player & coach I saw 100's of players take various recreational drugs & personally it doesn't bother me BUT you're forgetting a few things like........... - We don't yet know exactly what the charges against these players are - it might include "pushing". - Pro players are role models for kids. Roy Slaven's line "What will the kiddies think" is therefore important. - Players get high salaries because of corporate sponsorship of a club or whole sport. They are very sensitive to bad publicity. - Non recreational drug use is a clause in all player contracts.
Graeme
Guest
I agree completely with this article. But it should be noted that coke can and has been used as a performance enhancing drug. When I played in the US, where I'd say cocaine use is much more common and prevalent, one of the players on my team admitted that him and a couple of others were using coke as a stimulant prior to games and at half time,
Brian M
Guest
Outraged? No. Do I think it should be punished. Yes. They should be role models for kids. Not to a ridiculous extent, but to some extent. Why is the question "outrage" and excessive punishment vs. "there's nothing wrong with it at all." No middle ground?
Benny
Guest
I agree that they shouldn't even be testing for weed but uppers like coke sure have the potential to be performance enhancing. Maybe not in the street form but if they de-list it from the banned substances, I'm sure someone would figure out how to make it useful. Then there would be pressure for players to start using illegal substances.
Sobering numbers those mate.
Harry Jones
Expert
Definite. When you lose someone to drugs, you realize what a monster it is (addiction).
AndyS
Guest
On point, not outraged at all. Nor would I have any sympathy when they get caught, just as I don't if they get done drink driving, assaulting someone or any other transgression. The only thing that does annoy me is when they then trot out pre-packaged apologies, promise that it is a wake-up call that will enable them to grow, and/or cast themselves as victims of others or things outside their control. If there is one thing I worry about the kids learning, it is that fake victim mentality. These sportsmen are supposedly adults, so they should man up and take responsibility for their actions. And while there seem to be plenty prepared to do so on his behalf, Hunt has at least refrained from insulting everyone's intelligence so far.
Dan Wighton
Roar Guru
Hi Wal, You're definitely right about the influence on kids thing, and that has to be a concern for sure. But the media reaction has not been in line with, say, rock stars and so on. They are also an influence on kids - now we have a situation where parents would perhaps think twice about taking their child to a football game or autograph signing, but wouldn't have much of an issue if they busted out some JJ Cale (ok, well that's unlikely, but you get the point).
jax
Guest
I’m with Dan and Biltong and thank you for this post. If drugs were legalised would you suddenly turn into a drug addict simply because the Govt changed its policy? Of course you wouldn’t so why do we have these laws in the first-place? You have a brain, free-choice and there are non-legal consequences to any actions that you take and that is enough to influence the vast majority of people to make wise choices. There will always be a small minority of society that cannot manage or control their desires. Addiction of any kind is first and foremost a mental health issue, not a criminal justice issue so legalise them. If drugs were legalised the price would drop, we would close a lot of prisons. We wouldn’t need as many judges, police or lawyers which equates to smaller Govt, less expenditure, balanced budgets and much lower taxation (when combined with other sensible policy changes). This may surprise you but the US Govt is one one of the biggest drug suppliers in history whilst at the same time fighting a pseudo-war on drugs http://americanfreepress.net/?p=16169 and http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-spoils-of-war-afghanistan-s-multibillion-dollar-heroin-trade/91 Where does all of this heroin come from? The answer is the same as it was a decade ago. 75%-80% of the world’s heroin is exported from Afghanistan. In spite of the fact that the U.S. military controls a great deal of that mountainous country, production levels hit record highs in 2014. - See more at: http://americanfreepress.net/?p=16169#sthash.6S3W8NZx.dpuf Western Govt’s have been involved in the production and distribution of drugs for hundreds of years. Take a look at the Opium War (1839-1842) that was waged by the British and The British East India Company against a peaceful and industrious China. The British were trying to get the Chinese addicted to opium and it was working. In 1839 a very concerned China confiscated approx 1210 tons of opium. The British Govt used its naval and gunnery power to inflict quick and decisive defeat. The Chinese became addicted to opium, the British East India company (the elite) became even more magnificently wealthy than they already were and Britain kept Hong Kong for the next 155 years, leaving 18 years ago in 1997. Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Opium_War Where are 1% of American adults right now? 1% of the US adult population resides in prison. Drug related charges account for more than 50% of American prisoners. 31 million people have been arrested on drug related charges, approximately 1 in 10 Americans. Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_incarceration_rate Let’s break it down a little further… • The US has a three "strikes and your out policy" which gets you life imprisonment for the most minor of crimes e.g. Leandro Andrade is serving 2 consecutive life sentences for shoplifting 9 video tapes valued at $153 • 1 in 30 men aged 20-34 are behind bars (for black males that is 1 in 9) • There are more 17 year old black males in prison than in college • 5% of the world is American yet 25% of all prisoners in the world are American When entering America we are not allowed to bring in goods that were made by forced labour or prisons. Read this and try to tell me this isn’t modern day slavery. • US prisoners produce 100% of all military helmets, munitions belts, bullet-proof vests, ID tags and other items of uniform. • 93% of domestically produced paints • 36% of home appliances • 21% of office furniture This allows the US to compete with factories in Mexico because the workers can’t refuse to work. If they do they end up in solitary confinement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPZed8af9RI Why do we blindly follow America in all its forms including its war on drugs? Have drug laws been created to stop the distribution of drugs or to control it and profit from it? This is all very sobering and it puts the question of sportspeople using drugs into perspective. You hit a nerve with me Dan, thanks for the excellent post.
Harry Jones
Expert
Exactly. We pay. But they want us quiet. Haha!
Shouts Chen
Guest
Paul Gallen was the most loathed c***t on this planet. What did he do wrong? Is he cheating? What should he do when he does wrong?
stu
Guest
Great article. I agree
Armand van Zyl
Roar Guru
Yeah, I'd be pretty pissed if Vermeulen smoked some Vitamin Green.
Demak
Roar Rookie
I don't get the argument it's illegal .....end of story no matter how you want to spin it. High profile players are in the spotlight and that is why sponsors pay money, they don't want poor publicity simple There is no argument here if you want the big bucks then comply with the law End of rant
Bondy
Guest
Don't the players owe it to everybody to be seen/known to have a clean image and clean body . I understand like never before people want to control player behaviour especially through social media but is it right to be a pro athlete and go out get pi##ed, bump some lines and probably end up god knows where doing god knows what .. Sports athletes who use recreational drugs such as coke, speed or E's will probably also walk away from the sport by the age 32-35 with no mortgage and at least a home worth $700 -$800 k , most families will pay a mortgage off of that magnitude by the age of around 50 yrs . Do those same players realise what they receive financially from sport is what most other people within society take to earn in thirty years as to what they earn in a 10 yr career and having played that sport from the age of 6-7 yrs as what started as recreational fun,now turned pro . I done expect sports athletes on a Saturday night to be sitting around eating fairy bread and drinking red cordial , but I would like them to stay clean and they the player/s illustrate to society that they truly are professionals whilst earning a major professional salary .....
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
Unfortunately the guys that sell the coke are usually the same guys that bash someone and stomp on their head.