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can someone please reproduce the article?
The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority took no action against Essendon footballers who signed up to sports scientist Stephen Dank’s ill-fated supplements program but denied or did not admit to receiving any injections.
ASADA chief executive Ben McDevitt confirmed that four players who gave written consent to be treated with a Thymosin peptide — the same substance that resulted in 34 of their teammates being banned for doping — were never charged.
The Australiancan reveal that although two of those players denied receiving injections, another two were not interviewed by ASADA and AFL investigators because they were sick or otherwise not available on the day of their scheduled examinations.
It is understood that, despite the priority given to the investigation, the players were never required to attend a later interview.
One of the four footballers who escaped ASADA scrutiny remains a senior player at Essendon. He will continue his AFL career this season while a dozen current teammates serve their suspensions.
Former Essendon coach James Hird toldThe Australianthe doping saga had punished players for telling the truth and spared those who lied. “A couple of players who lied are the players who aren’t in the 34,’’ Hird said.
“Everyone who has told the truth has been bulldozed and destroyed. The ones who went down and told everything they knew are the ones who have been hurt.’’
Under fierce questioning in Senate estimates yesterday, Mr McDevitt was unable to explain why his organisation took no action against the four players.
ASADA’s senior in-house lawyer Elen Perdikogiannis told Greens senator Richard Di Natale that, without admissions, ASADA had no other evidence that they had doped.
“Those players disclosed that they had had no injections and there was no evidence to the contrary,’’ Ms Perdikogiannis said.
Senator Di Natale: “So they may have had injections, you just didn’t have evidence to support that, whereas you had evidence that others did?’’
Ms Perdikogiannis: “That is right.’’
The revelation drew an incredulous response from Liberal senator Chris Back, who was critical of the lack of consideration given by the Court of Arbitration to individual circumstance when it found all 34 players guilty of taking a banned substance.
“So the message for the 34 was they should have gone down the path of their colleagues, shouldn’t they?’’ Senator Back said. “You wouldn’t be here today and they wouldn’t be guilty today if they hadn’t self-incriminated. Am I correct in that assumption?
Mr McDevitt: “I wouldn’t assume that, Senator.’’
The Court of Arbitration for Sport banned 34 current and former Essendon players for two years after finding each guilty of taking a banned peptide, Thymosin Beta 4. The decision overturned an earlier finding by an AFL tribunal that cleared the players of the same offence.
The case before CAS was brought by the World Anti-Doping Agency with ASADA support. The 34 players have appealed against the CAS decision to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.
ASADA chief executive Ben McDevitt confirmed that four players who gave written consent to be treated with a Thymosin peptide — the same substance that resulted in 34 of their teammates being banned for doping — were never charged.
The Australiancan reveal that although two of those players denied receiving injections, another two were not interviewed by ASADA and AFL investigators because they were sick or otherwise not available on the day of their scheduled examinations.
It is understood that, despite the priority given to the investigation, the players were never required to attend a later interview.
One of the four footballers who escaped ASADA scrutiny remains a senior player at Essendon. He will continue his AFL career this season while a dozen current teammates serve their suspensions.
Former Essendon coach James Hird toldThe Australianthe doping saga had punished players for telling the truth and spared those who lied. “A couple of players who lied are the players who aren’t in the 34,’’ Hird said.
“Everyone who has told the truth has been bulldozed and destroyed. The ones who went down and told everything they knew are the ones who have been hurt.’’
Under fierce questioning in Senate estimates yesterday, Mr McDevitt was unable to explain why his organisation took no action against the four players.
ASADA’s senior in-house lawyer Elen Perdikogiannis told Greens senator Richard Di Natale that, without admissions, ASADA had no other evidence that they had doped.
“Those players disclosed that they had had no injections and there was no evidence to the contrary,’’ Ms Perdikogiannis said.
Senator Di Natale: “So they may have had injections, you just didn’t have evidence to support that, whereas you had evidence that others did?’’
Ms Perdikogiannis: “That is right.’’
The revelation drew an incredulous response from Liberal senator Chris Back, who was critical of the lack of consideration given by the Court of Arbitration to individual circumstance when it found all 34 players guilty of taking a banned substance.
“So the message for the 34 was they should have gone down the path of their colleagues, shouldn’t they?’’ Senator Back said. “You wouldn’t be here today and they wouldn’t be guilty today if they hadn’t self-incriminated. Am I correct in that assumption?
Mr McDevitt: “I wouldn’t assume that, Senator.’’
The Court of Arbitration for Sport banned 34 current and former Essendon players for two years after finding each guilty of taking a banned peptide, Thymosin Beta 4. The decision overturned an earlier finding by an AFL tribunal that cleared the players of the same offence.
The case before CAS was brought by the World Anti-Doping Agency with ASADA support. The 34 players have appealed against the CAS decision to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.
