News Dons ASADA scandal (Latest: Pg 101 - CAS verdict. Guilty, 12 months.)

[rose jam]

I don't buy this "we'll be labelled as cheats" if players accept reduced penalties. No one is saying that specifically about individual Cronulla players and it'll be less so here.

 

[Bay Pie]

I don't buy this "we'll be labelled as cheats" if players accept reduced penalties. No one is saying that specifically about individual Cronulla players and it'll be less so here.

I also don't buy the "we're doing this for the players".

If the players get done for PED, Hird is ****ed and he knows it. Even now, it appears some factions in the club have come to the realisation that the best way forward is to piss off. Hird and the members of the board that have been around during this whole drugs scandal. It's been poor decision after poor decision. The club is also looking out for itself as any player that gets suspended can sue the club for damages for loss of earnings and that their lawyers will claim that the players are labelled drug cheats, even though I agree with your comment. They'll use it in a legal argument even though it's not the reality.

 

[SnakePlisskin]

So what are we looking at? ,back dated suspension and they'll miss two games of the NAB cup

 

[jmac70]

I'm happy for the players to receive off-season suspensions. I just want Hird to get the chop.

 

[Hardas]

I'm happy for the players to receive off-season suspensions. I just want Hird to get the chop.

There's an argument to be made that the players have 'suffered enough', but I'm sorry, as a professional athlete that is signed up to the WADA guidelines, you are responsible for what you put into your body.

I don't buy the defense that they don't know what went into their bodies, and it will be a bitter pill to swallow if they get off with bans that don't directly impact their next AFL season.

 

[Vicky Park]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...rs-may-serve-longer-bans-20140920-10jo7t.html

Great quote from John Fahey, former WADA boss, in today's The Age:

I welcome the Federal Court's decision...The governments of 194 countries have accepted the code in support of clean and ethical athletes and officials. To me it was beyond belief that one club in one city of one of those countries would believe the rules should not apply to them. It is time certain people with big egos and fat wallets threw them both in the drawer and started focusing on 34 young men and their future in sport. Refusing to face reality only increases the likelihood of longer suspensions for the players. I sincerely hope that commonsense now comes into play.​

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...rs-may-serve-longer-bans-20140920-10jo7t.html

 

[Matt_352]

We get anyone from Essendon id be looking at Heppell, Carlisle and Watson.

 

[Sloth]

I'm happy for the players to receive off-season suspensions. I just want Hird to get the chop.

you'd let them get away with it in other words

 

[MyManLynch]

There has to be some punishment for the players.
They have to take ownership of the situation & deal with ASADA themselves.
No more hiding behind EFC & Hird.
Saad got 18 months?? For a sports drink. Would be an injustice if the players escaped in season bans.

 

[Stripes B and W]

It really is a fascinating study in 101 idolatry. So much energy and effort in the defence of an idol, the sacrifice of a few and the players occassionally being remembered.
I find it astonishing that the view most commonly held is that is players cop bans then Hird must go. Surely the ban is a consequence of what has occured, and we know without argument that most os it was very bad. We cast scorn at an offender for what he/she has done, not for the punishment received.

The other contrary thing i find hard to reconcile is the lack of even handedness in how the organisation that is the EFC has treated its employees. It has removed in one of many ways, in no particular order, Robinson, Hamilton, Corcoran, Robson, Dank, Evans among others. How is this justified apart from those individuals being responsible for the lack of method and process leading to Ziggy's infamous summation. Surely the point is that the coach should have been sanctioned ( in some way ) proactively by the club , meaning the over focus on Hird and his fate would have largely been extinguished
It's a fair bet that if any of these mentioned employees were either club legends, in possesion of a giant ego their fates would be very different.
Something just seems horribly 'not right' about that.

I would hope that our organisation is able to objectively assess someone such as our present coach or President when the business requires it, even if the matters concerned are the much more straightforward operation and performance of the club.

 

[popin]

here we go
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...ten-to-asada-deal-offers-20140921-10k2ew.html

 

[Morganashlee]

Every employee of that football club that supported and enabled the supplement regime should be removed. That should have happened years ago.

How members are still blindly following the messiah that is James Hird is just preposterous to me. We have members and supporters who want to oust Buckley already for failing to perfect a rebuild in 2 seasons yet they allow him to derail year after year of our great game and still defend what is seemingly indefensible.

If this were our club there is not a doubt in my mind Buckley would have stepped down immediately. We would not have allowed it and he would not have ever put his standing in the game above the interests of his players.

 

[The Magnificent Seven]

They'll have to re-name their Fox Footy show to 'The Hanger' (sic) whereby each week a judge sentences one player to being snuffed off the list.

 

[BlackWhiteBlood]

Looks like every one on 'the recruit' might get an AFL contract next season if suspensions are handed out quickly.

There is no way that ASADA can only give the players 6 month suspensions now. They where offered this back in July and rejected it. The players have rolled the dice and lost, to bad if it was from bad advice or blind faith in Hird and Co. ASADA must offer them 1yr bans, reduced from 2 years citing the no-fault clause that was being used to offer them the 6 months. Reject these and go for the full 2 years, they would have had enough chances.

 

[Unknown Identity]

It's an interesting scenario that is about to unfold.

If players are now ready to talk potential deals on bans it forces ASADA to show their hand.

You'd think by this stage deals are off the table.

I'm more of the opinion that ASADA have circumstantial evidence but nothing that is concrete (purely due to how well it was covered up) so i think we will see back dated bans and players miss a small portion of 2015. Possibly 5-8 games..

Paul Little and Hird should be moved on immediately, and they rebuild their Footy Department from the ground up so the club and the entire football community can move on from this once and for all.

Looking forward to the day its Us, Carlton, Essendon and Richmond in the top 4 and we pull in 95,000 crowds for finals. Obviously with the Pies taking home the Cup!

 

[cleomenes]

It is the administration at Essendon that is responsible and should pay what penalties there are. The players are employees, and have no choice under the AFL system but to obey orders. Any penalties for them should be minimal. The scum who gave the orders should be crucified.

 

[MyManLynch]

It is the administration at Essendon that is responsible and should pay what penalties there are. The players are employees, and have no choice under the AFL system but to obey orders. Any penalties for them should be minimal. The scum who gave the orders should be crucified.

I think that the players do have a responsibility to ensure (1) they are not doping & (2) look after their own health by knowing exactly what they are putting into their body.
Otherwise it's an easy cop out for them.
Cycling teams have systematically doped & all cyclists being held to account for their actions.
I do agree that the bulk of the blame (& hence punishment) should be on the shoulders of those in charge of this program (& those responsible for the players).
Following orders defense didn't exactly work in the Nuremberg Trials & nor should it here (I am in no way comparing the severity of offences/atrocities, rather the strategy of defense).
Other athletes cop 2 year bans & it would seem unfair to let the Essendon players off too lightly.
I think 10 to 12 games would be reasonable under the circumstances.

 

[76woodenspooners]

I think that the players do have a responsibility to ensure (1) they are not doping & (2) look after their own health by knowing exactly what they are putting into their body.

A year of Dank's soup du jour may or may not have long term health consequences.

But we do know that 10 years of hanging out on a footy field ain't exactly good for a player's long term health either - and players willingly do that.

The difference between the two is "informed consent". A player understands the risks of going out onto a footy field. Sure, players signed "informed consent" forms, but it doesn't seem like too much "informing" was going on by the people in charge.

 

[cleomenes]

N

I think that the players do have a responsibility to ensure (1) they are not doping & (2) look after their own health by knowing exactly what they are putting into their body.
Otherwise it's an easy cop out for them.
Cycling teams have systematically doped & all cyclists being held to account for their actions.
I do agree that the bulk of the blame (& hence punishment) should be on the shoulders of those in charge of this program (& those responsible for the players).
Following orders defense didn't exactly work in the Nuremberg Trials & nor should it here (I am in no way comparing the severity of offences/atrocities, rather the strategy of defense).
Other athletes cop 2 year bans & it would seem unfair to let the Essendon players off too lightly.
I think 10 to 12 games would be reasonable under the circumstances.

Nuremberg is not a good example for anything. The verdicts were mostly about revenge rather than justice, notwithstanding the appalling guilt of Himmler etc. Even there, it was the leaders, not the footsoldiers on trial.

 

[MooreTreloar]

Can the AFL put Hird & Little in the back of a car and drive them around the MCG at half time for a lap of shame?

The crowd can throw fruit and beer at them!

 

[popin]

POOR KIDS
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-09-22/we-feel-let-down

 

[rose jam]

It is the administration at Essendon that is responsible and should pay what penalties there are. The players are employees, and have no choice under the AFL system but to obey orders. Any penalties for them should be minimal. The scum who gave the orders should be crucified.

Zaharakis seems like you didn't actually need to follow hird blindly

 

[Robroy22]

Every employee of that football club that supported and enabled the supplement regime should be removed. That should have happened years ago.

This!

Whilst Hird seems to be the scapegoat and certainly should cop his whack from this, EVERYONE at the club at that time (administration, coaches, medicos, legals....everyone) should go.
I read that Bomber was fined $30,000 for his part....? Why fine him? He should go....they all should if they knew anything or even suspected anything was dodgy and did nothing to stop it happening.
If the bombers have to rebuild their club from the ground up.....so be it. So many of the clubs champions must be shamed by this rubbish. Clear out the cancer and start afresh boys. But don't go superficial, make sure you get it all.

 

[BlackWhiteBlood]

under WADA guidelines players/athletes are responsible for what they put in their bodies. Full Stop even if they can prove there drink was spiked to bad.

For those of us who are old enough to remember Suzie O'Neil, the swimmer. She was banned for 1 year because she took A HEADACHE TABLET, given to her BY HER COACH. Let me repeat that. She had a headache before a meet and her coach gave her a headache tablet that he found in the bottom of his kit bag and gave it to her. This tablet contained a banned substance so when she was drug tested as is the norm in swimming, she tested positive to a banned sub stance. It was investigated and it was proven and accepted by WADA that she is not a drug cheat, and that this was a one time error of judgement by an otherwise very clean athlete. This did not matter, she had taken a banned substance so a one year ban followed.

The situation at Essendon is far worse then this with there systematic doping program. It is also key to remember that the AFL are signatories to the ASADA code. And ASADA play by the rules that WADA set out. IF the AFL/ASADA hand out penalties that WADA feel are inappropriate WADA have the right to step in and over rule the sanctions that are put in place by ASADA. So players are going to need to be punished here, and they will be missing out on matches.

 

[jmac70]

Can the AFL put Hird & Little in the back of a car and drive them around the MCG at half time for a lap of shame?

The crowd can throw fruit and beer at them!

Waste of beer.