At this afternoon’s press conference AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan outlined the measures that will be taken to help Essendon field a full team in 2016.
Essendon will be allowed to upgrade all current rookie players to the senior list, and will also be able to sign ten top-up players to support what remains of their list after the CAS bans.
More:
» Essendon players found guilty, will miss 2016 season
» Essendon doping saga: Full list of players to miss 2016 AFL season
» Read CAS’s statement regarding the Essendon finding
» Potential top-up Bombers: Could Kelly, Stokes or Lake return?
» Essendon players guilty: Social media reaction
» Hey WADA, you got the wrong man
While suspended contracts will continue to be included in the salary cap, Essendon will receive an additional salary cap allowance so that they are able to recruit these top-up players.
The AFL having already sanctioned Essendon in 2013 will take no further action against the club.
Other affected clubs – Port Adelaide, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs and Melbourne – will be allowed to promote rookies to replace banned players.
Jobe Watson’s 2012 Brownlow Medal win will be reviewed in February by the AFL comission. Watson will be invited to address the commission.
There will be no changes to Essendon’s annual ANZAC day fixture with Collingwood.
The AFL has scheduled a press conference for 1pm AEDT following the Court for Arbitration of Sport’s decision to ban 34 past and present Essendon players, released this morning. Join The Roar for a live blog of the press conference.
The conference will be attended by AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan, and league chairman Mike Fitzpatrick.
At around 8am this morning news broke that the 34 players, 17 of them still listed with AFL clubs, would miss the entire 2016 season due to bans handed down by the CAS.
Since then an enormous number of questions have arisen over just what will happen in season 2016 in response to these bans.
How Essendon will manage to field a full team, whether or not Jobe Watson will retain his Brownlow, and what support will be given to clubs with former Essendon players banned from their lists are some of the most biggest questions facing the AFL.
How much light this press conference might shed on those issues is something we don’t know just yet, but we will hopefully hear some solid answers once it gets underway.
In addition to those queries, it must be asked of the AFL also how a finding of its own Anti-Doping Tribunal was so wildly different to that of the CAS.
Whether or not that topic will come up at an event such as this one, however, is very unclear. The more immediate issues are likely to be the ones that are looked at most closely.
Join The Roar for a live blog of the press conference, beginning at 1pm AEDT.
doikus
Guest
I don't understand how the AFL can accept the findings of CAS and then give Essendon all these extra players etc. They are rewarding a club which has systematically and deliberately cheated by using banned substances. So why aren't they made to suffer the full consequences? I believe in any other sport, Essendon would have been kicked out of the competition for a year for gross negligence and cheating. The Storm had to play for a whole year for no premiership points, lost players and were stripped of two premierships for diddling the books. What Essendon did was far more serious.
Doug Graves
Guest
"In addition to those queries, it must be asked of the AFL also how a finding of its own Anti-Doping Tribunal was so wildly different to that of the CAS." The AFL knew the truth all along but attempted to cover it up. It Looks like Essendon is just the tip of the iceberg. The game is rotten to the core.
Vocans
Guest
Mc Lachlan says the players were understandably influenced by their leaders and obeyed the club 'rules'. This seems to be saying they were good boys following orders. Isn't this the so-called Nuremberg defence: I was only following orders? Then, McLachlan says he hopes they now see the anti-doping rules are serious. Weren't they told this from day one? And does he dismiss their witholding information re their 'treatments' from his mind? It also opens up some more of Pandora's box when he implies they didn't really mean it because they were naive: the AFL system had obviously failed them if this were the case, and the players could sue on those grounds, and certain AFL officials might have consequences so far avoided. Given the strident voice of the Players' Assoc CEO reported by the Roar, is the AFL running scared of a player back-lash, perhaps explaining the verbal and conceptual contortions of its CEO today?
RnR
Guest
They accept but don't agree with the decision? Lock up the henhouse, there's a weasel on the loose.
Pete
Guest
So a team can cheat but an individual can not. Wow great logic.
Pete
Guest
The AFL went for the cover up option. Treating grown men like babies as not responsible for their actions helps no one and means they will turn to that as a defense every time.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Disagree - the AFL has said they will accept the decision, but they don't agree with it. I think that's a fair call from McLachlan's, I don't think anyone within the AFL would be ecstatic about the outcome. They're allowed to express their opinion on the findings. More nuanced debate about how the governance of the game can be improved and what improvements will come from this whole messy saga will play out over the coming weeks.
Ryan Buckland
Expert
That is an excellent summary.
RnR
Guest
Cycling
RnR
Guest
While the AFL has to accept the decision, phrases like 'The inapplicability of the code to team sports' - 'Not a majority decision' - and 'Circumstantial evidence' suggests the AFL certainly don't embrace the decision. Still incapable of making an definitive stand, Gilligan remains as morally ambivalent, and devoted to weasel words, as ever.
Josh
Expert
So, the key takeaways: - Essendon may upgrade all current rookies to the senior list - Essendon may sign up to ten top-up players - Suspended contracts will be included in the salary cap. - Essendon will receive additional salary cap allowance with which to sign top-up players. - AFL has already acted against Essendon in 2013 and will not do so again. - Port Adelaide, St Kilda, Melbourne, Western Bulldogs may promote rookies to replace suspended players. - 2012 Brownlow Medal will be reviewed by AFL commission in February. - Jobe Watson will be invited to address the commission. - No changes to ANZAC day, or presumably any other Essendon fixtures.
Josh
Expert
Conference over.
Josh
Expert
Says he doesn't think the AFL could've done any more than it has.
Josh
Expert
Says the AFL has faith in new chairman Lindsay Tanner and new coach John Worsfold.
Josh
Expert
Says it will be a very tough year for Essendon.
Josh
Expert
Says he doesn't feel that the AFL or it's employees have been tainted. Feels comfortable that strong action has been taken.
Josh
Expert
Says there will be no top up players for clubs with banned players aside from Essendon.
RnR
Guest
Gilligan remains as morally ambivalent, and devoted to weasel words as ever. Pathetic.
Josh
Expert
Says it's appropriate for the players to consider all their appeal options. He says that the AFL will enforce the bans so long as they remain unappealed.
Josh
Expert
Says there will be no impact on the results of last season.