2014 Non-Crows AFL Discussion

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footy4ever

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ASADA successfully appealed a 9 month ban for a VFL player and got it increased to 2 years. The AFL are not going to get away with a slap on the wrist now.

I can honeatly see Ryder being banned 2 of his 3 contracted years the way it is going.
I can't like this enough!
 

NikkiNoo

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The same way there's a influx of Crows supporters hoping that ASADA inserts an even bigger boot into the arses of the affected parties ;)
Except some of us have been on about the harsher penalties from the start if you care to check ;)
 

headache1

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From what I recall, they were punished for bringing the game into disrepute because of the type of program they were running, not because players were found to be doping. There could be a whole raft of new penalties for them if their players are found guilty of doping.
 

NikkiNoo

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Saad got the royal pineapple. Repeat injectors should get at least 2 years based on his sentence
Saad also had a positive test. Essendon used substances apparently that there are not positive tests available for atm. The samples have been apparently stored though for later testing when there is a test available. So ASADA have to rely on circumstantial evidence to get the comfortable satisfaction required to prove a doping offence occured.
 

OutofTownCrow

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The scenario I keep coming back to is the players being told to take the supplements. They're concerned because it's their body, etc, so they ask, what are we taking? They're told it's for recovery and yes, it's all above board, we checked it by the WADA code, etc.

Legally they're still responsible, but surely the club then has to be held liable for any punishment they receive?

There should be a lot of cases coming up where the phrases "emotional distress" and "loss of potential income" will be used.
It all comes back to the players, in terms of the doping sentences. The AFL can punish the club, or the individuals that led to the players getting jabbed with god knows what ... but the buck stops completely at the players feet as far as ASADA / WADA are concerned. You cannot push the responsibility onto anyone else, no matter how farked up it seems.
 

Bay62

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It all comes back to the players, in terms of the doping sentences. The AFL can punish the club, or the individuals that led to the players getting jabbed with god knows what ... but the buck stops completely at the players feet as far as ASADA / WADA are concerned. You cannot push the responsibility onto anyone else, no matter how farked up it seems.
This will be the next stage of this once the penalties (if any) are decided - what exactly do players have to do to be responsible for what goes into their own bodies?

Asking questions and getting assurances may not be enough anymore. But short of becoming experts themselves how are they supposed to know what they are taking without inevitably relying on what other people tell them?

As long as the people around them don't give them illegal substances then it won't be a problem, but hoping that that is what happens from now on may be their only strategy
 

aneale

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It all comes back to the players, in terms of the doping sentences. The AFL can punish the club, or the individuals that led to the players getting jabbed with god knows what ... but the buck stops completely at the players feet as far as ASADA / WADA are concerned. You cannot push the responsibility onto anyone else, no matter how farked up it seems.
And it's worth remembering that not all of them got SCN, Winderlich purportedly refused to participate. Good on him, for thinking this doesn't seem right and using a bit of free thinking.
 

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crowsup

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And it's worth remembering that not all of them got SCN, Winderlich purportedly refused to participate. Good on him, for thinking this doesn't seem right and using a bit of free thinking.
All other players had the same choice as Winderlich. So, why did they not query it? Why did they sign a waver? And, what was the waver for?
 

The Sloane Ranger

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I said at the time of the Cronulla NRL verdict that Essendon would not be gifted with the same plea bargaining and this is for two reasons:

1. Essendon officials and players failed to fully cooperate with the investigation and ASADA will take issue with the court challenge

2. The Essendon supplement program was administered over a period of 12 months compared to 3-4 weeks at Cronulka
 

OutofTownCrow

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This will be the next stage of this once the penalties (if any) are decided - what exactly do players have to do to be responsible for what goes into their own bodies?

Asking questions and getting assurances may not be enough anymore. But short of becoming experts themselves how are they supposed to know what they are taking without inevitably relying on what other people tell them?

As long as the people around them don't give them illegal substances then it won't be a problem, but hoping that that is what happens from now on may be their only strategy
Asking questions and getting assurances has never been enough.

If you get it wrong - its your bad luck. That's why you hear of such extreme cases of athletes avoiding any chance of an infraction.

It makes sense ... as soon as you can say "I thought it was ok, I sought advice and was told the wrong thing" and get away with it - then it's a free for all.

My advice would be - don't inject stuff into your system to try and improve your performance - full-stop.
 
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I said at the time of the Cronulla NRL verdict that Essendon would not be gifted with the same plea bargaining and this is for two reasons:

1. Essendon officials and players failed to fully cooperate with the investigation and ASADA will take issue with the court challenge

2. The Essendon supplement program was administered over a period of 12 months compared to 3-4 weeks at Cronulka
Would need to be a minimum 1 year penalty if found guilty - wiping out most of essendon's players for a full season.
 

aneale

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Exactly right. I think if you were to be taking something orally you would wonder but to go through a systematic injecting program and just go along with it is mindblowingly dumb. I don't care who you are.

There is a financial advice book I have by Scott Mercier who was also an Olympian at Barcelona in the road cycling team. The book has a chapter that deals with his past life. He was picked to compete in Barcelona, no real star, didn't win a medal or anything but he was good enough to get noticed by US Postal. He got sent out to the Asian tours, a bit like 1st Division for cycling and once again did alright, won the odd stage but never won a tour but certainly did well enough to think he could cut it with the big boys on the European tour.

So, he got picked for the Euro tour and went out to train and couldn't up with the peleton at training let alone in a race situation. He got called aside by the team Doc after this went on for months and was sent home with a bag of 'vitamins" which he later knew to be EPO. He was given strict instructions to take them all in a strict regimen and to ride something like 2000km a week and then after a few weeks come back. He decided not to do it, but did the km's thinking he just needed to be fitter. Got back same deal, couldn't get within cooee of the rest of them. Once again the Doc gave him stuff, but this time told him what they were .... and he gave the sport away. Was replaced by Lance Armstrong.

But he was originally told they were not performance enhancing. Some days it was tablets he had to take, and some days it was injections and from memory it was the idea of injecting himself that he baulked at thought something wasn't quite right. That was 1997. I find it staggering that athletes put there still wouldn't speak out about or refuse to inject anything without taking the vial, taking it to their own doc and asking for some independent advice.
 

tinman

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And it's worth remembering that not all of them got SCN, Winderlich purportedly refused to participate. Good on him, for thinking this doesn't seem right and using a bit of free thinking.
Zaharakis apparently refused injections, although I recall hearing somewhere that it is because he had a fear of needles.

That could also be club "spin" as it doesn't look too good for those that went with the program, that some players chose to opt out.

As Essendon have always maintained they have done nothing wrong, it suits them to portray anyone standing out as being someone with a phobia....
 

little graham

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I said at the time of the Cronulla NRL verdict that Essendon would not be gifted with the same plea bargaining and this is for two reasons:

1. Essendon officials and players failed to fully cooperate with the investigation and ASADA will take issue with the court challenge

2. The Essendon supplement program was administered over a period of 12 months compared to 3-4 weeks at Cronulka
According to the AFl the reason Adelaide got a bigger punishment for the tippet scandal , than what Essendon did for doping, was because we didn't cooperate with the AFl like Essendon did.

Triggy must of been a real campaigner.
 
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According to the AFl the reason Adelaide got a bigger punishment for the tippet scandal , than what Essendon did for doping, was because we didn't cooperate with the AFl like Essendon did.

Triggy must of been a real campaigner.
Yet dons have tarnished the Afl brand way, way more than afc.

Why we spent $'s on the most expensive lawyers is a mystery to me...
 
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Would love to know what is the AFL's contingency plan if this does occur
I gather they will allow essendon to have a special draft to top up their squad for suspended players.

Also would need their salary cap reduced as couldn't substantiate paying minimum cap.
 
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