Essendon Skipper Jobe Watson has spoken of the devastation caused by the suspension of 34 past and present players, as the Bombers continue digesting the enormity of the darkest day in the club’s history.
The shock season-long bans handed down by the World Anti-Doping Agency on Tuesday rocked the club to its foundations.
Twelve of the 34 affected by the ill-fated 2012 supplements program remain on Essendon’s playing list.
Coach John Worsfold will put his remaining squad members through their paces in a public training session at the club’s Tullamarine headquarters on Thursday morning.
More Essendon:
» The AFL must not abandon the WADA Code
» Lindsay Tanner looms as Essendon’s saviour
» Bonfire of the certainties: Dissecting CAS’s Essendon decision
» Essendon doping saga: What did we learn?
» Essendon need their fans in 2016
» What the Essendon bans could mean for the 2016 AFL season
Watson and his banned teammates will not be allowed to enter the club until November this year, with the 30-year-old also in danger of losing the Brownlow Medal he won in 2012.
He released a statement on behalf of the suspended group on Wednesday following Tuesday morning’s ruling to uphold WADA’s appeal.
“The decision announced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport … is devastating,” Watson said.
“We are struggling to come to terms with this decision and feel it does not support the players’ firm belief that we are innocent.
“Our legal team is conducting a thorough review of the decision and will explore any avenues available to us.
“The players would like to thank our families, our friends, our members and supporters for their unwavering support.
“We would also like to thank the AFLPA for their ongoing support throughout the last three years.
“We will not be making any further comment and ask the media to please respect our privacy during this extremely challenging period.”
WADA appealed to CAS after the AFL anti-doping tribunal ruled in March last year that there was insufficient evidence to find the players guilty of doping offences arising from the supplements program.
The Bombers are bracing for the prospect of legal action by the players but were buoyed by a show of support from fans on Wednesday.
Essendon’s official membership Twitter account noted that 24 members had “walked away” on the day the suspensions were announced, while 627 members had re-signed.
The club also announced it had surpassed 40,000 members – only the second time in its 142-year history that the milestone has been passed in January.
“Our players, coaches and staff are truly grateful to our members for their loyalty, passion and commitment to the club, particularly during such a challenging period,” chief executive Xavier Campbell said.
“As a club we know we will get through this challenging period together, our members make us stronger and continue to show they’re behind us on this journey.”
Kaks
Roar Guru
"Maybe they actually truly believe they did not take TB4" - How can they say that when they have no idea what they took?
Kaks
Roar Guru
Why would the lawyers be honest with them? They are probably making a fortune the longer this plays out.
Kaks
Roar Guru
Can you blame him? His career is in tatters because of Hird and the club. I will be shocked if he remains at Essendon when the ban is over - if he doesnt retire.
trenerry boy
Roar Rookie
Maybe they actually truly believe they did not take TB4 - that seems to be there belief, perhaps just perhaps they did not want to be labelled cheats like the NRL players and as it turned out they probably should have just admitted guilt, even if they did not really think they were guilty, that would have been the easier and smarter option. I don't believe that they are cheats.
Reccymech
Roar Rookie
Who is exactly advising these players? Talk about misrepresentation. Should of listened to, or better still, got the services of the lawyer who advised the Cronulla Sharks.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
Except that you compare Essendon with Cronulla - the Sharks 'fessed up straight away, the players got slaps on the wrists and quickly resumed playing. If I were a Bombers player I would be asking the club and lawyers why they didn't do the same...
Ken Oath
Guest
Man up fella's, man up club. Stop diverting the blame and accept it. The club must allow the players to speak their minds rather than controlling what comes out. Majority of people are sick and tired of hearing the dribble you're all saying. Only when you change the your belief and message will you get any sympathy. Keep denying it like the golden boy and your reputation will end up like his. Whatever you guys did was wrong, simple.
AR
Guest
Jobe Watson is an outstanding young man. He is a humble leader, well-spoken, polite and considerate, and an excellent player to boot. And he is completely delusional about the players role in this whole stinking mess. These words - “We are struggling to come to terms with this decision and feel it does not support the players’ firm belief that we are innocent." - are the words of a man who *still* doesn't understand what he's done wrong. Strict liability - if it's in your body, you're guilty. Worse yet, I find it a bit insulting that players who receive injections everyday for 8 weeks, and then deny to drugtesters that they've had any injections at all, can honestly claim to have been truthful throughout this saga. Tuesday's report basically confirmed that they'd lied to the drugtesters, apparently out of some secret of 'let's keep this in-house' pact. Jobe, wonderful guy as he is, still doesn't understand the situation the players put themselves in. Man I wish these guys got some legal advice from someone who wasn't an Essendon fan.
Barry
Guest
The only thing I can think of is that if they admit guilt, they get less of a payout from the EFC. Maybe their lawyers told them to continue to profess their innocence and they can sue the AFL (for the process) as well as the EFC (for the unknown injections)?? That or they're complete morons.
Pot Stirrer
Guest
Exactly, If all involved believed as vthey want us to believe that all was legitimate the records would not have disapeared and Dank would have fronted with bells on.
Jameswm
Guest
"if there was actually genuine/decent proof that they were actually injected with TB4 " Thee is Dok. Did you read the report? The guys signed up to secretive injections and lied about them to the testers. Sure Essendon is to blame, but so are the players. This is not 1975 Communist East Germany - you have the information at your fingertips and the right to speak out.
Jameswm
Guest
"their lawyers need to be honest with them" Someone certainly has to be. They seem surrounded by yes-men.
trenerry boy
Roar Rookie
Perhaps you should read the judgement where CAS wasn' t even sure where Dank sourced it, after 3 years of investigation, they just skipped that bit, or the fact they included Prismall in it because he was injured therefore more likely to take it - all guess work
Maggie
Guest
Dok, I can't see any similarity between the Essendon players' case and Alex Watson. St Kilda's Ahmed Saad could be more accurately compared to Alex Watson (both tested,positive to a banned drug, both explained their consumption was inadvertent and innocent of intent to cheat). And Saad still got an 18 month ban and (in the end) Watson got a two year ban. Both Saad and Watson returned to compete in their sports after completion of their times of suspension. Those Essendon players who wish to do so could do the same if they keep up their fitness levels for the next 12 months.
SM
Guest
Why would he be so adamant when he has previously stated that he does not know what he was injected with? That is a massive failing on his part. I really don't understand why people (Essendon supporters) are finding this so difficult.
Barry
Guest
Perhaps you should read the judgement. The players were injected on a regimen consistent with TB4, TB4 was around at the club. The players didn't mention they were getting injected, when they should have put it on their ASADA forms and their defence is "We don't know what we were injected with". I imagine the East Germans didn't know what was in the pills they were taking, but they should have suspected they were cheating. You'll notice that it's only the players who still profess their innocence, the club and AFLPA only commented on the harshness of the penalty. But that came about because the players have not fessed up yet. Christo, I think it's even more ingrained into these privileged AFL players that almost anything can be arranged or swept under the rug for them. They can't fathom that the club hasn't entirely looked after their every need in this case. Some of them believe the clubs, coaches etc to be infallible.
WhereIsGene
Guest
Jobe is denying guilt and refusing to take any responsibility? Someone ought to tell him how much of a failure the James Hird playbook as been, and that he's extremely foolish to follow it.
Dok
Roar Rookie
I imagine if there was actually genuine/decent proof that they were actually injected with TB4 then he would not have a leg to stand on, as it stands he doesn't believe he was, perhaps that is why he is so adamant. I agree with him, it is not a matter of taking personal responsibility. The decision by CAS lacks any real hard evidence, IMO history will show it to be a politicised shoddy deal that has destroyed players careers. Alex watson springs to mind as something similar, the public hysteria around that was unbelievable.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
Exactly. There's a society-wide trend to always blame others and not take personal responsibility. It's so ingrained in most people (and I think even more so in people in the public eye) that I suspect they don't even recognise it. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if Watson genuinely believes what he's saying. The other interesting thing is that Watson didn't thank the club or Hird. Virtually everyone else got thanked...
Barry
Guest
“We are struggling to come to terms with this decision and feel it does not support the players’ firm belief that we are innocent." This needs to change, they need to read and re-read the ruling and their lawyers need to be honest with them. If they go to arbitration or court and still believe in their innocence, then they're in trouble. They're professional athletes who should have known what was going into their bodies. That they don't know what was injected into them is a major failing as professional athletes. It's negligent to the point that they need to be punished. They need to accept that so they can move on. The only way they are innocent is if they know what went into their bodies and that it is definitely permitted. The fact is, they either don't know what went in, and they're negligent. Or they know what went in and they're not saying because it's illegal which is almost as bad.