Gumbles To Be Served By ASADA?

[GilG]

On top of all his career-long bad luck with injuries, could an ASADA "show-cause" notice be coming to Scott Gumbleton? According to this breaking story in this morning's Age, ASADA may seek two-year bans on as many as 40 Essendon players from 2012, with letters going out as early as this week:

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/dday-looming-for-up-to-40-bombers-20140511-383xn.html

According to footywire.com, Gumbleton played six AFL games with the Bombers in 2012. It'd be hard to believe, with that many Essendon players in ASADA's cross-hairs, that Gumbleton wouldn't be one of them.

On careful read, a show-cause wouldn't mean an automatic ban, but would certainly present a legal headache for players and their managers and force players to defend themselves against the allegations. It's the kind of mess Gumbleton and the Dockers need like holes being drilled into their heads...

 

[estibador]

It was always the risk when we recruited him. A player with Gumby's injury history would have been a prime candidate for a bit of Dank magic too.

Sucks for him personally, but given his balsa wood body we aren't going to be any worse off than we are now.

Would almost certainly spell the end of his career though. Could be one of many seeking legal recourse against the Bombers.

 

[footyfix]

I'm getting pretty tired of this ASADA ax hanging over Essendon. If I was involved I would get on the back foot and tell them to put up or shut up. Seriously isn't there a statute of limitations or something? Does this get to go on forever? It's getting tedious.If they actually had anything you would think they would have used it. I probably wouldn't mind so much if it was the Egirls though......

 

[slicedndiced]

Slow burn is the best burn.

Essendope and their (ex)players are in a world of pain. The New ASADA CEO implied as much last week.

 

[Nickos66]

At this rate he'll be served after he's already retired anyway..

 

[yoong]

Wasn't he named as one of the players that admitted they think they were injected with aod or something?

Got a bad feeling about this.

Life hasn't been fair to Gumby so far.

 

[Silent Alarm]

This thing is such a circus and it'll go on forever. He'll probably never get banned. You can bet old Gillon's working the handshakes, phone calls, and manipulations that Demetriou left unmet.

Who cares about Gumbleton anyway, the most half-hearted recruit to our most dire hole.

 

[Lach72]

This thing is such a circus and it'll go on forever. He'll probably never get banned. You can bet old Gillon's working the handshakes, phone calls, and manipulations that Demetriou left unmet.

Who cares about Gumbleton anyway, the most half-hearted recruit to our most dire hole.

Yeah I love the way he half heatedly tore his hamstring.


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[Kram]

Who cares about Gumbleton anyway, the most half-hearted recruit to our most dire hole.

You are turning into another Bradesmaen bro..

 

[Freo Dr]

Well the club knew the risk when they took him but also probably figured they should get at least this year out of him before any sanction was in place by which stage they would have been hoping for Tabs etc. to be able to cover. It was a short term gamble that has failed because of his hamstring. Still have to see what happens - Gumby about a month away from playing again I think so may still play for us this year and this would still only be a 'please explain'.

Essendon will be rightly screwed if this comes to fruition. Just hope the AFL does not bail them out with special draft concessions for players lost to sanctions if it does. Also cost them big time financially with the affected players all able to sue the club for failing duty of care.

 

[PapaJ]

Wasn't he named as one of the players that admitted they think they were injected with aod or something?

Got a bad feeling about this.

Life hasn't been fair to Gumby so far.

Basically yes. Because of "poor record keeping", there's doubt over who ended up being jabbed with what, so just about every player club is in the cross-hairs, but there were a smaller group, can't quite remember, maybe 6-10 or so that were singled out and identified by name either by documented evidence or self admission or both - Scott was one of them.

 

[DOCKERZ]

A mate of mine got served with a similar notice for a non performance enhancing drug, about 10 months after the positive test.
If he didn't 'show cause' he would automatically get 2 yrs. He did the dance, answered their questions and ASADA gave him a 3 month suspension, AND backdated it almost 2 months (while he was still playing tournaments) so effectively he got a 5 week holiday?!?
ASADA are a rabble.

 

[Tazmania]

I personally know Ben McDevitt from working at the ACC whilst he was the CEO at Crimtrac and then Queensland ACC National Manager and I'll just say that he's the guy you bring in when you want to go hard and need someone to lead that. ASADA aren't a rabble, they just appear to be because they aren't on the front foot and to me it appears that they haven't had a CEO that knows how to deal with it.

Whilst they can't leak any info about the investigation till complete, they can still sell the message that they are professional, thorough, accountable and on track to deliver and outcome and this is what they haven't been doing. Ben will change all that. He is a brilliant message deliverer and will already this morning be hiring/appointing a marketing company to assist ASADA get back on the front foot with communication. Essendons PR machine has been working overtime to make ASADA look incompetent and he will want to change that perception rapidly.

I expect to see some more strongly worded messages coming out from them in the next few weeks leading up to whatever the outcome of all this is.

 

[yoong]

Basically yes. Because of "poor record keeping", there's doubt over who ended up being jabbed with what, so just about every player club is in the cross-hairs, but there were a smaller group, can't quite remember, maybe 6-10 or so that were singled out and identified by name either by documented evidence or self admission or both - Scott was one of them.

That's where I think is going to be the problem. Since they are not clear who is injected with what, asada may just go the "balance of probabilities" route and hit on players that have "admitted their guilt". Hope I am wrong though.

 

[DOCKERZ]

10 months to send out a sanction notice is rabble-esque behavior to me.
As a comparison, a workmate tested positive to the same substance. He was sent home immediately and suspended until his 'B' sample is confirmed.
When it is he will be sacked.

If ASADA can't do the simple things right, it's hard to have confidence in their dealings with complicated cases like Essendon, your mate aside.

 

[Admiral Byng]

10 months to send out a sanction notice is rabble-esque behavior to me.
As a comparison, a workmate tested positive to the same substance. He was sent home immediately and suspended until his 'B' sample is confirmed.
When it is he will be sacked.

If ASADA can't do the simple things right, it's hard to have confidence in their dealings with complicated cases like Essendon, your mate aside.

Completely different scenario, there are no samples in this case to test to return a definitive positive or negative result. It is more based on documentary evidence and witness testimony. That is far more difficult to investigate.

 

[Fred Ziffel]

I just hope Hird goes down.
That Demetriou guy bailing looks ominous; He knows exactly what is coming.

 

[Nickos66]

I just hope Hird goes down.
That Demetriou guy bailing looks ominous; He knows exactly what is coming.

You reckon Dimma's throwing Gil under the bus, eh?

He may just be.

 

[Nothing]

You reckon Dimma's throwing Gil under the bus, eh?

He may just be.

I reckon more that he knew what was coming his way so leapt before he was psuhed.

 

[Gekko71]

If Vlad is going to be thrown under a bus, can I buy a few tickets first? (...one for myself, the rest for this herd of elephants I just happen to have with me)...

 

[scon]

I've got an HR licence and a real nasty streak....pick me pick me

 

[DOCKERZ]

Completely different scenario, there are no samples in this case to test to return a definitive positive or negative result. It is more based on documentary evidence and witness testimony. That is far more difficult to investigate.

That's my point.

 

[jusjoshin]

If 40 players all go, the dons won't be able to field a team.

It would suck losing Gumby, but it would suck more losing your club.

 

[kBuck]

I'm getting pretty tired of this ASADA ax hanging over Essendon. If I was involved I would get on the back foot and tell them to put up or shut up. Seriously isn't there a statute of limitations or something? Does this get to go on forever? It's getting tedious.If they actually had anything you would think they would have used it. I probably wouldn't mind so much if it was the Egirls though......

Just look at how long the the whole Lance Armstrong saga went on for! This could go on for a lot longer than a few years

 

[Freo2012]

I think most cases elsewhere have had very little time frame in which they have to respond, 2-4 weeks for many (natural justice question?). Although given the length of time EFC players have had to evaluate their positions and seek legal advice since everything came out, as well as the numerous EFC and AFLPA driven legal and other meetings that are public knowledge a short time frame would be seen as reasonable in court.

Guessing only 2-4 weeks. This will start moving quite quickly once the show cause letters are out.