News Clubs operating league-sanctioned drug testing program - Harley Balic’s Dad Speaks

[Chief]

AFL Statement

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.

 

[Makeshift Park]

Pretty stunning story just appeared in the Herald Sun.

Opening extract below:

A Melbourne Football Club doctor has sensationally admitted to conducting “off the books” illicit drug tests – allegedly authorised by the AFL – to help players evade detection on match days.
The doctor-turned-whistleblower says players who confessed to having taken drugs in the days before AFL games were given secret tests to ensure their systems were clear or were advised to “fake an injury” so they would not risk being tested and suspended for breaches of the World Anti-Doping Agency code.
Federal MP Andrew Wilkie told parliament on Tuesday night he had received a signed statement from former Demons head doctor Zeeshan Arain in which he accuses the AFL of facilitating the clandestine drug tests at Dorevitch Pathology in Heidelberg.

Mr Wilkie called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to intervene in the scandal.

In a stunning address, Mr Wilkie said: “I rise to bring the house’s attention deeply troubling allegations of egregious misconduct within the AFL provided by former Melbourne football club president Glen Bartlett, former Melbourne football club doctor Zeeshan Arain and Shaun Smith, father of Melbourne player and now alleged drug trafficker Joel Smith.

Anyone wanna guess which heads will roll?

Whistleblower: Clubs avoiding game day drug testing; injuries faked? - AFL News

In a startling revelation, federal MP Andrew Wilkie has brought […]

www.bigfooty.com

 

[Bald]

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/news/afl-drugs-bombshell-mp-tells-federal-parliament-of-secret-illicit-drug-tests-allegedly-authorised-by-leagues-top-medico/news-story/e5999f6f4d289e358d3fa0c4533c1a38

"A Melbourne Football Club doctor has sensationally admitted to conducting “off the books” illicit drug tests – allegedly authorised by the AFL – to help players evade detection on match day.

The doctor-turned-whistleblower says players who confessed to having taken drugs in the days before an AFL game were given secret tests to ensure their systems were clear or were advised to “fake an injury” so they would not risk being tested and suspended for breaches of the World Anti-Doping Agency code.

Federal MP Andrew Wilkie told parliament on Tuesday night he had received a signed statement from former Demons head doctor Zeeshan Arain in which he accuses the AFL of facilitating the clandestine drug tests at Dorevitch Pathology in Heidelberg.

Mr Wilkie called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to intervene in the scandal."

 

[g_TRAIN]

Yikes, this is going to be big.

 

[BF Tiger]

Is anyone surprised?

 

[Art Vandelay_]

s**t meet fan.

 

[Sqotty from office works]

Ahahahah
Bartlett was cleaning up and the dodgy brothers knifed him and now the truth slowly leaks out.
Ahahahah
Never change the carpet AFL.
Ahahahah

 

[Eshay187]

Dorevitch Pathology in Heidelberg.

Extremely cliched name of a place to be doing clandestine tests

 

[g_TRAIN]

Is anyone surprised?

The league sanctioned part yes.

 

[Oscarman]

It would be multiple clubs

 

[Off Stump 89]

Ah so that's where the term general soreness came from

On SM-S918B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[boncer34]

It would be multiple clubs

I remember saying that. Ahh the good old days.

 

[Roogene]

Does anyone doubt that the AFL was involved?

They will try and hide behind the illicit drug policy ie the player came forward and admitted they had a problem etc etc.

But the tests will be on file at the pathology lab.

Could be a huge scandal.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

I mean, it's smart to test for illicit drugs. Be surprised if more clubs aren't doing it.

 

[Makeshift Park]

I don't want to break Big Footy policy on republishing media stories, but I think I'm probably safe to just use Wilkie's own statement from parliament.

“The allegations include the prevalence of drug abuse and other prohibited behaviour across the AFL, off the books drug-testingof players at Dorevitch Pathology in Heidelberg, facilitated by the former chief medical officer of the AFL Peter Harcourt, the resting of players testing positive in these secret tests, ostensibly on account of injury, wilful inaction by AFL chairman Richard Goyder, and former CEO Gill McLachlan ….

“Here is what happened as has been described to me: The AFL wants the player to play at all costs and so the cover up begins.

“If there are no illegal drugs in the player’s system they are free to play and if there are drugs in their system the player is often asked to fake an injury.

“They are advised to lie about a condition, while the results of the off-the-book tests are kept secret and are never shared with Sports Integrity Australia or WADA.

“In other words, hundreds of thousands of Australians will watch the game not knowing that the game has been secretly manipulated by the AFL and thousands of Australians will bet on that game not knowing the game has been secretly manipulated by the AFL.

“So next time you hear a player has a hamstring injury, you could be forgiven for wondering what is really going on.

“But as Dr Arain explains this isn’t just a Melbourne problem, it is an AFL problem with multiple players coming to Melbourne from other teams with pre-existing cocaine dependencies more than suggesting that drug testing workarounds are commonplace elsewhere in the AFL.

“The documents in my possession also indicate a shocking unwillingness of senior AFL executives to address drug abuse by players and executives, particularly in relation to cocaine use.

“For instance here are very detailed notes of a telephone meeting between Gill McLachlan, Richard Goyder and Glen Bartlett.”

The fake injuries thing is totally predictable.

But if its true the league itself is exposed, and there's some kind of papertrail that shows that, then things are about to get spicy.

 

[1923]

Well this is going to blow up Gill's already questionable legacy.

 

[SM]

The league sanctioned part yes.

Really?

 

[Roogene]

Worth noting Wilkie has parliamentary privilege so he can say what he likes.

He did try to table documents but the Govt used its numbers to block it but that will not last.

Its all gonna come out.

 

[Sphynx]

Shaun Smith and Joel Smith gone full scorched earth.

 

[Consolaçao]

I’ve just finished reading ‘the Boys Club’ by Michael Warner, so this all sounds reasonably believable.

 

[Jack Bradley]

Oh nooooooo

 

[Sentinel]

Fascinated to see Shaun Smith's involvement here after his own son apparently missed the memo from AFL HQ:

“If there are no illegal drugs in the player’s system they are free to play and if there are drugs in their system the player is often asked to fake an injury."

 

[El Doederino]

Worth noting Wilkie has parliamentary privilege so he can say what he likes.

He did try to table documents but the Govt used its numbers to block it but that will not last.

Its all gonna come out.

Tassie pollie really doesn’t want that new stadium

 

[Visions]

AFL and corruption in the same sentence? Say it aint so……..

 

[adammania9]

How many times have the AFL used "mental health issues" or "personal reasons" to cover up absent players? Could be seen as the perfect cover-up as it would be invasive or disrespectful to question such reasons

 

[Eshay187]

Just legalise them, at the very least legalise cocaine in Sydney.The war is lost, too much overhead to enforce.