Mega Thread Hot Topic - Drugs and AFL

[blackcat]

There's a good chance Dank does know but for any number of reasons refuses to divulge that information.

you are allowed to dope in Pro sport, you are just not allowed to get caught. There is a major difference. And if you read the WADA regulations thru a biochemist's lens, you will see that you can get all your foreign exogenous enhancement, under the tresholds. The thresholds are arbitrarily* high*, allowing you to dope within it.

* "arbitrarily high" seems like a paradox, atleast in the oxford definition, blackcat did you mean intentionally high? well yes I did, however the description was meant to illustrate how the WADA drug tests obfuscate for the layperson, that one can pass a test, therefore they are not on PEDs. Well, this is manifestly wrong. However this is the intent of the Olympic Charter and WADA.

Have a conversation with Savulescu out at Clayton when he is doing some domestic work home from Oxford. I know he would give you 5 minutes.

edit: grammar

 

[blackcat]

The rich kid becomes a junkie,
The poor kid an advertiser,
What a tragic waste of potential,
Being a junkie's not so good either,
Your folks worked hard for what you got,
You are the fruit of their vine,
Who cares what you sow and what you reap?
'Cause Greg! You missed the stop sign!

TISM

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

From a story in today's Age

Ex-WADA boss tells Essendon fans to stop blaming him
The man in charge of the World Anti-Doping Agency at the time 34 current and former Essendon players were banned for drug offences says it’s time for Bombers fans to stop blaming him. David Howman was director-general of WADA when the agency appealed the initial not guilty finding from the AFL anti-doping tribunal which had cleared the 34 Dons players on the charge of taking banned substance Thymosin Beta-4 during the 2012 season. WADA’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was successful, leading to all 34 players being suspended for the duration of the 2016 season, and Jobe Watson handing back his 2012 Brownlow Medal. In Melbourne for an integrity in sport conference organised by Greyhound Racing Victoria, New Zealand-based David Howman issued a reminder to Bombers fans that WADA had been seeking to ensure the “comfortable satisfaction” level of proof was reached, rather than targeting the Essendon players in particular. “I think the Essendon fans still don’t necessarily accept the whole thing,” Howman told The Age on Wednesday.

“And I can understand that. [But] I don’t think they should blame me any further. All I did was say ‘I don’t think the way in which it was decided at the lower level [AFL anti-doping tribunal] used the right test, used the right burden of proof. “All we were doing, was nothing to do with who the people were, was make sure that the highest authority accepted it, and whatever they decided we would run with. That’s what happened and it was shown that the lower level was just slightly wrong.” Howman, who is now chairman of the Athletics Integrity Unit, also said he thought the AFL had improved its mechanisms in dealing with integrity issues.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...fans-to-stop-blaming-him-20180822-p4zz46.html

Compared Essendon and Cronulla

“I think the AFL learned a lot from the exercise they went through with Essendon, and I think if asked that directly they would concede that,” Howman said. “I think ASADA [Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority] learned a lot from Essendon as well. You must not forget that there was also the NRL engagement with Cronulla, and that was handled in a slightly different way. “So I think you’ve got to do a debriefing after all these things. I certainly met with the AFL after it, when I was still at WADA. And I thought they were very receptive to suggestions on how they might look at the way forward. And the fact that they’ve got this integrity unit now, really humming, is a good answer.” Howman was on the Federal Government-backed panel which recently finalised a report into integrity in Australian sport, and said it would be inappropriate for him to comment further publicly on the report’s findings.

 

[Grave Danger]

From a story in today's Age

Ex-WADA boss tells Essendon fans to stop blaming him
The man in charge of the World Anti-Doping Agency at the time 34 current and former Essendon players were banned for drug offences says it’s time for Bombers fans to stop blaming him. David Howman was director-general of WADA when the agency appealed the initial not guilty finding from the AFL anti-doping tribunal which had cleared the 34 Dons players on the charge of taking banned substance Thymosin Beta-4 during the 2012 season. WADA’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was successful, leading to all 34 players being suspended for the duration of the 2016 season, and Jobe Watson handing back his 2012 Brownlow Medal. In Melbourne for an integrity in sport conference organised by Greyhound Racing Victoria, New Zealand-based David Howman issued a reminder to Bombers fans that WADA had been seeking to ensure the “comfortable satisfaction” level of proof was reached, rather than targeting the Essendon players in particular. “I think the Essendon fans still don’t necessarily accept the whole thing,” Howman told The Age on Wednesday.

“And I can understand that. [But] I don’t think they should blame me any further. All I did was say ‘I don’t think the way in which it was decided at the lower level [AFL anti-doping tribunal] used the right test, used the right burden of proof. “All we were doing, was nothing to do with who the people were, was make sure that the highest authority accepted it, and whatever they decided we would run with. That’s what happened and it was shown that the lower level was just slightly wrong.” Howman, who is now chairman of the Athletics Integrity Unit, also said he thought the AFL had improved its mechanisms in dealing with integrity issues.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...fans-to-stop-blaming-him-20180822-p4zz46.html

Compared Essendon and Cronulla

I'm shocked that there are no comments on the Age article yet

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Haha I bumped this yesterday because ex WADA CEO was in Melbourne talking about ASADA and Essendon and thought on well, it will be another year or two before another bump. But the players dont let us down.

There was a reason why Sam Murray was a late withdrawal from last Saturday's game against Port.

Sam Murray under ASADA investigation
COLLINGWOOD has confirmed defender Sam Murray is being investigated by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA).

As reported first on AFL.com.au by Damian Barrett, Murray recently recorded an elevated reading in a post-match drugs test, possibly the Magpies game against Richmond at the MCG on July 28. It's believed Murray was made aware of the abnormalities in his sample late last week. Collingwood said ASADA was leading the investigation and was in charge of the timing. The Magpies also confirmed Murray had sought independent legal advice. In a statement on Friday morning, Collingwood chief executive Mark Anderson said the club had a strong stance against drugs in sport, but was also aware of supporting the 20-year-old's welfare.

"I would like to reinforce that Collingwood is unequivocally committed to the cause of eliminating drugs in sport," Collingwood chief executive Mark Anderson said. "We fully support all anti-doping policies and our athletes understand the rules in place. Collingwood has worked hard to develop a culture of professionalism and respect within its teams and we are making great progress. "It would be inappropriate to pre-empt the outcome of the ASADA process. "In addition to ensuring we comply fully with the ASADA process, we are also ensuring that we support Sam as a person. "We are not able to make any further comment until all of the facts are gathered, the investigation completed and a determination reached."

On Thursday of last week, Murray was selected in the Magpies team to play against Port Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday, but on Friday night he withdrew from the team, with the club citing "personal reasons" for his unavailability.

The substance detected by ASADA was an illicit drug, which when detected on match-day is regarded as performance enhancing and thus carries the potential of a four-year ban from football. The maximum sanction can be mitigated under certain circumstances.

As per protocols, if an ASADA test for drugs records a positive result, it is viewed as the A-sample. The athlete is informed of the finding, and it is at his or her discretion whether a B-sample is required. The Murray situation is at this juncture, and it may take months for it to reach a final outcome. Murray didn't train with Collingwood on Thursday and has been absent from the club all week. ......
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-08-24/breaking-sam-murray-under-asada-investigation

Collingwood statement basically what afl website story had
http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/news/2018-08-24/statement-sam-murray

Not sure what illicit drug produces an "elevated reading." That term is usually used around blood parameters or hormones that would suggest use of HGH or other peptides not an illicit drug. I have no idea what illicit drug would produce elevated reading - but the story later says abnomalities so maybe the initial report by Barrett used the wrong phrase.

 

[B0ydmental]

Haha I bumped this yesterday because ex WADA CEO was in Melbourne talking about ASADA and Essendon and thought on well, it will be another year or two before another bump. But the players dont let us down.

There was a reason why Sam Murray was a late withdrawal from last Saturday's game against Port.

Sam Murray under ASADA investigation
COLLINGWOOD has confirmed defender Sam Murray is being investigated by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA).

As reported first on AFL.com.au by Damian Barrett, Murray recently recorded an elevated reading in a post-match drugs test, possibly the Magpies game against Richmond at the MCG on July 28. It's believed Murray was made aware of the abnormalities in his sample late last week. Collingwood said ASADA was leading the investigation and was in charge of the timing. The Magpies also confirmed Murray had sought independent legal advice. In a statement on Friday morning, Collingwood chief executive Mark Anderson said the club had a strong stance against drugs in sport, but was also aware of supporting the 20-year-old's welfare.

"I would like to reinforce that Collingwood is unequivocally committed to the cause of eliminating drugs in sport," Collingwood chief executive Mark Anderson said. "We fully support all anti-doping policies and our athletes understand the rules in place. Collingwood has worked hard to develop a culture of professionalism and respect within its teams and we are making great progress. "It would be inappropriate to pre-empt the outcome of the ASADA process. "In addition to ensuring we comply fully with the ASADA process, we are also ensuring that we support Sam as a person. "We are not able to make any further comment until all of the facts are gathered, the investigation completed and a determination reached."

On Thursday of last week, Murray was selected in the Magpies team to play against Port Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday, but on Friday night he withdrew from the team, with the club citing "personal reasons" for his unavailability.

The substance detected by ASADA was an illicit drug, which when detected on match-day is regarded as performance enhancing and thus carries the potential of a four-year ban from football. The maximum sanction can be mitigated under certain circumstances.

As per protocols, if an ASADA test for drugs records a positive result, it is viewed as the A-sample. The athlete is informed of the finding, and it is at his or her discretion whether a B-sample is required. The Murray situation is at this juncture, and it may take months for it to reach a final outcome. Murray didn't train with Collingwood on Thursday and has been absent from the club all week. ......
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-08-24/breaking-sam-murray-under-asada-investigation

Collingwood statement basically what afl website story had
http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/news/2018-08-24/statement-sam-murray

Not sure what illicit drug produces an "elevated reading." That term is usually used around blood parameters or hormones that would suggest use of HGH or other peptides not an illicit drug. I have no idea what illicit drug would produce elevated reading - but the story later says abnomalities so maybe the initial report by Barrett used the wrong phrase.

Whatever it is, we aren't using it

Right now

 

[blackcat]

Whatever it is, we aren't using it

Right now

B0ydmental what happened to the old handle?

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Looks like Damien Barrett's first report was poorly worded and this has nothing to do with elevated levels that might indicate HGH or peptide use. John Ralph is reporting its cocaine but as it was a match day test he wont get dealt with under the illicit drugs policy, but under the AFL/WADA CODE in game stimulant usage and could get 4 years.

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/spor...t/news-story/c0d2dae2dd33b26e2264f5d6d8d8956a
COLLINGWOOD’S Sam Murray faces a ban of up to four years after being investigated by ASADA for a possible illicit drug in his system on game day. The first-year Pie is alleged to have tested positive for an illicit drug after a match.

It is understood the drug is cocaine.
..........
WHAT WE KNOW
— Murray is alleged to have tested positive for an illicit drug after a match
— He faces a ban of up to four years
— The drug is understood to be cocaine
— Collingwood has confirmed Murray is under investigation by ASADA

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/spor...t/news-story/c0d2dae2dd33b26e2264f5d6d8d8956a

 

[ozph1870]

Afl player on coke.. well i am shocked

 

[scottjr]

Afl player on coke.. well i am shocked

I'm shocked he's the first positive test on game day. Is there an improved test available?

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

I'm shocked he's the first positive test on game day. Is there an improved test available?

Doubt it. Probably just plain dumb.

Wendell Sailor admitted he snorted cocaine on a Wednesday but was caught on a Saturday night test in South Africa. He lost his appeal and got the maximum penalty, which was 2 years back then for your first strike. Now its 4 years.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Different sports - different attitudes. PED's let you work/train harder. The Washington Post re Super Bowl MVP

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...ded-it-super-bowl-mvp/?utm_term=.547332a6dc2b
ATLANTA — The first player on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium field was Julian Edelman, his face colonized by a bird’s nest beard, his reputation protected by the mores of his sport. At 3:15 p.m. Sunday, more than three hours before Super Bowl LIII,........ Hours later, as midnight approached, Edelman was one of the last players to leave the Patriots locker room. “You going to Disneyland?” teammate Matthew Slater asked him. “Disney World?” Edelman had earned the trip during the Patriots’ 13-3 win, catching 10 passes for 141 yards and earning MVP honors.
........
“I’m getting to live out a dream, so it’s pretty surreal right now,” Edelman said. “I think everything happens for a reason. I was always taught as a young boy that you always just have to work hard. Work as hard as you can, put in the extra time and we will see where it goes.”

Change the sport, or alter the perspective of the fan base, and Edelman’s hard-work sentiment would elicit dubious eye-rolls, if not outright scorn. The NFL suspended Edelman the first four games of this season for using a performance-enhancing substance. Edelman, who was rehabbing from knee surgery last year after tearing his ACL in the preseason, admitted to the offense, telling reporters during training camp, “I’m definitely accountable for that.”

The performance-enhancing drug suspension has been largely (but not entirely) absent in the discussion of Edelman’s excellence and, in some corners, his long-shot Hall of Fame candidacy. Try to imagine the difference in tone if theoretically a World Series MVP had been popped for PEDs and missed 40 games. It’s not even possible — MLB players busted during the season can’t play in the postseason. Baseball drug cheats are met with pitchforks. Football drug cheats are met with shrugs. They aren’t even really considered cheats.

Or consider the way those busted for drug offenses are treated at the Olympics. Every Russian in PyeongChang last year was booed. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, American sprinter Justin Gatlin, who had once been banned two years for taking amphetamines, was jeered every time his name was announced.

In Atlanta, the only reason anybody regarded Edelman as a villain is because he played for the Patriots.

Baseball record books are viewed as a sacred part of the game, while football record books are less relevant than who’s on your fantasy team. The Steroid Era in baseball is associated with artificially rearranging those records, while in football, nobody much cares about what goes in the record books.

The Olympics, at least on a competitive level, underneath corporate polish and exploitative practices by IOC and local officials, are perceived as an unadulterated distillation of athletic measurement, and drugs pollute that purity. Fans view football players as gladiators with cartoonish physiques who wear armor to play their game. And if one of them gets benched for PED use, well, is his backup available on the fantasy waiver wire? .......
https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...ded-it-super-bowl-mvp/?utm_term=.547332a6dc2b

 

[BrockBlitz]

You basically can’t play in the nfl unless you take PEDs.

Kicker and punter may be the exception

 

[chiwigi]

Different sports - different attitudes. PED's let you work/train harder. The Washington Post re Super Bowl MVP

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...ded-it-super-bowl-mvp/?utm_term=.547332a6dc2b
ATLANTA — The first player on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium field was Julian Edelman, his face colonized by a bird’s nest beard, his reputation protected by the mores of his sport. At 3:15 p.m. Sunday, more than three hours before Super Bowl LIII,........ Hours later, as midnight approached, Edelman was one of the last players to leave the Patriots locker room. “You going to Disneyland?” teammate Matthew Slater asked him. “Disney World?” Edelman had earned the trip during the Patriots’ 13-3 win, catching 10 passes for 141 yards and earning MVP honors.
........
“I’m getting to live out a dream, so it’s pretty surreal right now,” Edelman said. “I think everything happens for a reason. I was always taught as a young boy that you always just have to work hard. Work as hard as you can, put in the extra time and we will see where it goes.”

Change the sport, or alter the perspective of the fan base, and Edelman’s hard-work sentiment would elicit dubious eye-rolls, if not outright scorn. The NFL suspended Edelman the first four games of this season for using a performance-enhancing substance. Edelman, who was rehabbing from knee surgery last year after tearing his ACL in the preseason, admitted to the offense, telling reporters during training camp, “I’m definitely accountable for that.”

The performance-enhancing drug suspension has been largely (but not entirely) absent in the discussion of Edelman’s excellence and, in some corners, his long-shot Hall of Fame candidacy. Try to imagine the difference in tone if theoretically a World Series MVP had been popped for PEDs and missed 40 games. It’s not even possible — MLB players busted during the season can’t play in the postseason. Baseball drug cheats are met with pitchforks. Football drug cheats are met with shrugs. They aren’t even really considered cheats.

Or consider the way those busted for drug offenses are treated at the Olympics. Every Russian in PyeongChang last year was booed. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, American sprinter Justin Gatlin, who had once been banned two years for taking amphetamines, was jeered every time his name was announced.

In Atlanta, the only reason anybody regarded Edelman as a villain is because he played for the Patriots.

Baseball record books are viewed as a sacred part of the game, while football record books are less relevant than who’s on your fantasy team. The Steroid Era in baseball is associated with artificially rearranging those records, while in football, nobody much cares about what goes in the record books.

The Olympics, at least on a competitive level, underneath corporate polish and exploitative practices by IOC and local officials, are perceived as an unadulterated distillation of athletic measurement, and drugs pollute that purity. Fans view football players as gladiators with cartoonish physiques who wear armor to play their game. And if one of them gets benched for PED use, well, is his backup available on the fantasy waiver wire? .......
https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...ded-it-super-bowl-mvp/?utm_term=.547332a6dc2b

The other sports are just hypocrites.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

The other sports are just hypocrites.

Other sports - have good intentions, just gutless administration and enforcement.

NFL isn't a custodial body. High School football runs its own programs as does College football in the US. Sports bodies that have to oversee the development of junior players have to make a bit of an effort.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

10 year anniversary - and this thread is almost 5 months older. All summed at

Play Nice - Happy 10th Anniversary (of the Essendon/ASADA Saga)

10 years since the Essendon drugs saga: How the biggest scandal in Australian sports history erupted From a surprise conference at AFL House to years of accusations, drama and destroyed careers. Recap all the key moments of the Essendon drugs saga here. Michael Warner February 5, 2023 - 9:46AM...

www.bigfooty.com

 

[raptalia]

I WAS SET UP: DANK
Yes, 10 years on and Stephen Dank is in the headlines and telling the world he was set up. Unbelievable.

 

[blackcat]

as per Hawks ruckman Don Scott , doping starts early 70s here , p'raps half a dozen years prior in rugby in northern states

this needs to be your starting point before you assess a pure guilt of james albert hird

it only peeled the lid for succour mom's™[sic]

why did carlton's(AFL/vfl exec)IanCollins take a concerning watch for footscray's justin charles

#oneofentirebloc

 

[Grave Danger]

I WAS SET UP: DANK
Yes, 10 years on and Stephen Dank is in the headlines and telling the world he was set up. Unbelievable.

Apart from the 10 year anniversary thing, this claim by Donk is the only 'new revelation', and that's sweet fa - he's provided nothing.. I was intereststed for a minute when I saw Mick Warner's name linked to today's story, but then Robbo being involved kills it off.

 

[blackcat]

Different sports - different attitudes. PED's let you work/train harder. The Washington Post re Super Bowl MVP

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...ded-it-super-bowl-mvp/?utm_term=.547332a6dc2b
ATLANTA — The first player on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium field was Julian Edelman, his face colonized by a bird’s nest beard, his reputation protected by the mores of his sport. At 3:15 p.m. Sunday, more than three hours before Super Bowl LIII,........ Hours later, as midnight approached, Edelman was one of the last players to leave the Patriots locker room. “You going to Disneyland?” teammate Matthew Slater asked him. “Disney World?” Edelman had earned the trip during the Patriots’ 13-3 win, catching 10 passes for 141 yards and earning MVP honors.
........
“I’m getting to live out a dream, so it’s pretty surreal right now,” Edelman said. “I think everything happens for a reason. I was always taught as a young boy that you always just have to work hard. Work as hard as you can, put in the extra time and we will see where it goes.”

Change the sport, or alter the perspective of the fan base, and Edelman’s hard-work sentiment would elicit dubious eye-rolls, if not outright scorn. The NFL suspended Edelman the first four games of this season for using a performance-enhancing substance. Edelman, who was rehabbing from knee surgery last year after tearing his ACL in the preseason, admitted to the offense, telling reporters during training camp, “I’m definitely accountable for that.”

The performance-enhancing drug suspension has been largely (but not entirely) absent in the discussion of Edelman’s excellence and, in some corners, his long-shot Hall of Fame candidacy. Try to imagine the difference in tone if theoretically a World Series MVP had been popped for PEDs and missed 40 games. It’s not even possible — MLB players busted during the season can’t play in the postseason. Baseball drug cheats are met with pitchforks. Football drug cheats are met with shrugs. They aren’t even really considered cheats.

Or consider the way those busted for drug offenses are treated at the Olympics. Every Russian in PyeongChang last year was booed. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, American sprinter Justin Gatlin, who had once been banned two years for taking amphetamines, was jeered every time his name was announced.

In Atlanta, the only reason anybody regarded Edelman as a villain is because he played for the Patriots.

Baseball record books are viewed as a sacred part of the game, while football record books are less relevant than who’s on your fantasy team. The Steroid Era in baseball is associated with artificially rearranging those records, while in football, nobody much cares about what goes in the record books.

The Olympics, at least on a competitive level, underneath corporate polish and exploitative practices by IOC and local officials, are perceived as an unadulterated distillation of athletic measurement, and drugs pollute that purity. Fans view football players as gladiators with cartoonish physiques who wear armor to play their game. And if one of them gets benched for PED use, well, is his backup available on the fantasy waiver wire? .......
https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...ded-it-super-bowl-mvp/?utm_term=.547332a6dc2b

not correct
tout dope
tous dope

you don't know the names of those that don't dope , they are either also-rans or don't qualify

 

[blackcat]

TISM

"GregF" stop sign fentanyl


#fleetoffootwasaarondavey

ta evo

#PrincePatVicstreetcollingwoodmondaycomedy

#Smithstreet90sjunkeesrus

#thebreeders #Hammer #kimdeal

 

[Schulzenfest]

"GregF" stop sign fentanyl


#fleetoffootwasaarondavey

ta evo

#PrincePatVicstreetcollingwoodmondaycomedy

#Smithstreet90sjunkeesrus

#thebreeders #Hammer #kimdeal

Get back on your meds.

 

[blackcat]

Get back on your meds.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

As Yogi Berra would say - It's deja vu all over again.

When I heard Andrew Dillon read out the following paragraph, I couldn't help but thing of Dr Wade Exum who was the US Olympic Committee doctor between 1991 and 2000, who came out and exposed that he did drug testing of US Olympic athletes or potential athletes, he thought it was to catch the cheats, but for the USOC it was all about the Brand Protection, PR spin and avoid US athletes on drugs going to the Olympics, or cleaning up their body so they wouldn't test positive at the Olympics and make US look bad.

USOC turned a blind eye, as long as they didn't make them look bad at the Olympics.

AFL statement on Illicit Drug Policy

The AFL has an Illicit Drug Policy which has been in place since 2005, and at the core of the policy is a commitment to player wellbeing and welfare

www.afl.com.au

If the test shows a substance is still in the players system, a doctor will take steps to prevent a player from taking part in either training and/or an AFL match both for their own health and welfare and because having illicit substances in your system on match day may be deemed performance enhancing and a breach of the Australian Football Anti-Doping Code (depending on the substance involved).

So the illicit drug testing system, introduced by the AFL in 2005, in addition to the WADA tests, was about brand protection, as much as player welfare. And the clubs don't get told, yet have to carry the burden of players pulling out with a "hammy" when they have tested positive to cocaine, heroine, meth, cannibals etc, or when they get 3 strikes, or trade away a player with 2 strikes and the new club becomes the sucker with a player that is only 1 strike away from a long ban.

I will make the point that I understand very clearly that a positive match day test of illicit drug, is very different to a positive illicit drug mid week or out of season test.

Take cocaine as its a stimulant that gives you an immediate performance enhancing affect. That's why its banned in match day tests. Its why people though, still think, Ben Cousins had a snort at half time, given his great performance in the second half of 2006 PF v Adelaide at Footy Park and went from 4 goals down to win by 10 points.

Rock stars, models, wealthy individuals and even normal people take cocaine before a big sex session, be it threesomes, foursomes, orgies etc because it gives them a huge stimulant and performance enhancing effect to bang a lot harder than normal.

But cocaine only has a half life of about 6 hours and is usually out of your system in 24 hours. The overwhelming majority of positive cocaine tests by sportspeople and normal people who have to give drug tests for work or part of a court order, don't test positive to the cocaine, but its major metabolite, Benzoylecgonine, which has a half life of 12-18 hours and stays in the body for 4 to 7 days.

When Wendell Sailor in May 2006 tested positive to cocaine after he pissed in a cup straight after a Super 14 Rugby game in South Africa on a Saturday night, he tested positive to the metabolite Benzoylecgonine and he admitted that on the Wednesday night in South Africa he went to a night club and snorted coke there. He argued that the stimulant performance enhancing effect had gone by Saturday and that he shouldn't get the automatic 2 year ban that was enforced back then. He lost his ARU drug panel case and was banned for 2 years.

Joel Smith of Melbourne is arguing the same thing, that he took coke several days before the - in competition test, and that it had no performance enhancing affect and that he shouldn't get the automatic now 4 year ban. If the AFL drug panel don't give him 4 years, then Sports Integrity Australia (formerly ASADA) will take the case to CAS.

Lachie Keeffe and Josh Thomas

24

Josh Thomas

Age

32

Ht

178cm

Wt

78kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.4

4star

K

8.5

3star

HB

7.9

5star

M

3.1

3star

T

3.0

5star

G

0.9

4star

D

9.0

2star

K

3.0

1star

HB

6.0

3star

M

1.3

1star

T

2.0

3star

G

0.0

1star

D

17.4

5star

K

9.0

4star

HB

8.4

5star

M

3.0

3star

T

3.4

5star

G

0.0

1star

tested positive to banned PED substance clenbuterol in drug tests taken in February 2015. They admitted to taking an illicit drug, but tried to argue that they went to a music festival or to watch music and took cocaine but it must have been cut with the clenbuterol as part of the white powders drug dealers use to make more coke but not full purity, and greater profits.

I called bullshit at the time and haven't changed my thinking. Clenbuterol is used to build lean muscle and cut body fat. Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, and some other athletes used the excuse that it must have come from contaminated meat. Keeffe and Thomas both got automatic 2 yearn bans.

I wrote about Dr Wade Exum back in September 2012 in this thread at this post - #105 . Yes its about PED's and this admission by the AFL is about illicit drugs, but both situations are basically about Brand Protection.

Whilst this is a Johnson vs Lewis video the last two and a half minutes they interview Dr Wade Exum who for 10 years was the US Olympic Committee's Director of Doping Control.
.....
The narrator says, "he thought his job was to stop drugs in sport but his bosses had other priorities. He told me over 2,000 American athletes failed their drug tests including Carl Lewis and they were covered up."

In the last 15 seconds Dr Exum sadly makes the following comment
"For me the whole level playing field was a myth. If we could not do anything to take doping out of sports, then doping was meant to be in sports."

I wonder if the AFL got 60 or 70 positive tests for either PED's or illicit drugs in a short say 2 month period would they go public with all the positives and say we have a big problem or would they cover it up and not risk all the bad PR, maybe loss of sponsorship $$$, maybe TV $$$ down the track etc???????

I also wrote about Dr Exum in June 2013 and some of the stuff he said, and others said, in the doco Bigger, Stronger Faster, at this post #833

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

AFL statement

AFL statement on Illicit Drug Policy

The AFL has an Illicit Drug Policy which has been in place since 2005, and at the core of the policy is a commitment to player wellbeing and welfare

www.afl.com.au

As well as being a signatory to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code via the Australian Football Anti-Doping Code, the AFL has an Illicit Drug Policy which has been in place since 2005, and at the core of the policy is a commitment to player wellbeing and welfare.

The AFL Illicit Drug Policy (IDP) is a policy that specifically deals with the use of illicit substances out of competition and is focussed on player health and well-being. The policy seeks to reduce substance use and drug-related harms for AFL players and aims to inform and rehabilitate players through education and intervention.

It exists alongside and in addition to the Australian Football Anti-Doping Code which covers prohibited substances including some illicit substances in competition as prescribed by the WADA prohibited list.

Urine tests conducted by doctors to determine if a player has used illicit substances are part of the AFL's Illicit Drug Policy medical model and have been for some time.

Doctors may use those urine tests to obtain an immediate result to determine whether any illicit substance remains in a player's system. This is normally conducted at the club or in the doctors consulting rooms.

If the test shows a substance is still in the players system, a doctor will take steps to prevent a player from taking part in either training and/or an AFL match both for their own health and welfare and because having illicit substances in your system on match day may be deemed performance enhancing and a breach of the Australian Football Anti-Doping Code (depending on the substance involved).

It is absolutely imperative that no doctor or club official should ever allow or encourage a player to take the field knowing they have recently taken an illicit substance that may be harmful to their health and/or may be deemed performance-enhancing (as many illicit substances are on match day).

We support the WADA code (as it applies to our sport through the Australian Football Anti-Doping Code) and support the fundamental premise on which it is founded that any player who takes the field with a performance-enhancing prohibited substance in their system should be treated in accordance with the Anti-Doping Code and face heavy sanctions.

The AFL observes that AFL players are not immune to the societal issues faced by young people with respect to illicit substances and also acknowledges that illicit drug use problems commonly co-occur with other mental health conditions.

While the AFL's medical model involves a multidisciplinary healthcare management plan, the monitoring of players is highly confidential. A doctor or healthcare professional generally cannot disclose the nature of the clinical intervention or condition to others unless the player willingly consents.

We understand that the Illicit Drugs Policy can be improved and we are working with the AFLPA and players to improve the policy and the system to ensure we are better able to change the behaviours of players. But we are unapologetic about club and AFL doctors taking the correct steps to ensure that any player who they believe has an illicit substance in their system does not take part in any AFL match and that doctor patient confidentially is upheld and respected.

The AFL will always be required to make decisions which seek to balance competing rights and interests. The medical interests and welfare of players is a priority for the AFL given everything we know about the risks facing young people generally and those who play our game in particular.