60sbomber
Club Legend
The contents of AFL Medical Officer Peter Harcourt's presentation in Zurich in late 2013 is indeed a "bombshell".
It sheds light on what led to the ASADA investigation into the EFC supplement program and, even more significantly, it helps us understand some aspects of the way the investigation has evolved.
It reveals that in 2012 the AFL, for reasons not explained, suspected EFC of using banned substances. Combine this with the revelation of the contents of a letter provided to Essendon players and officials prior to their ASADA interviews, which states that the investigation was aimed at the suspected use of 3 growth hormone related peptides (GRHP-2 GRHP-6 & CJC1295), and we start to understand what the AFL & ASADA expected to find when the EFC was pushed into "self reporting" in Feb 2013.
Harcourt's presentation shows the fears that the AFL & ASADA had about player safety and cancer risks etc were a major concern, and underlay the dramatic nature of what the AFL leaked to Fairfax during the investigation.
However, after an investigation lasting 16 months, the expected outcome of EFC being found to have given growth hormone related peptides to its players has failed to emerge.
Despite their best attempts, the combined efforts of ASADA & the AFL have produced absolutely no evidence to support the original suspicion!
In July 2013, the AFL, having carefully laid the groundwork by selective leaks of damning tidbits of "evidence" via its Fairfax mouthpiece, is left in an awkward position. Essendon is winning enough games to make it a likely finals participant. The AFL has convinced the public that EFC has used illegal performance enhancing supplements. But there is still no sign of any damning evidence to support the original suspicion.
What can the AFL do? It solicits an interim report from ASADA with enough bits & pieces of emails & texts to make it look like something bad has happened (eventhough they can't find any evidence of it). They take strong action against the club, excluding them from the finals & imposing a ban on golden boy James Hird, who has threatened to upset the whole master plan by exposing the AFL manipulation of the investigation to its own chosen agenda. It then hopes the whole thing will fade away, with no further action against the players.
However, ASADA has a different need. Having been thrust into the role of prosecuting the case following the ACC "darkest day" press event, it can't just let the whole thing fade away.
The presumption of growth hormone use has proved to be a fallacy. Blood tests of the entire playing group have shown no sign of its use. No evidence of its use at EFC can found. But the whole investigation was founded on the belief it had been used.
ASADA is desperate to find something........anything, to justify its investigation, and not look like a lame duck pursuing something that doesn't exist.
AOD use is established, but ASADA can't prosecute it without looking incompetent for giving wrong advice.
What is left?
There is plenty of evidence that Dank used "thymosin", one form of which is banned. ASADA have enough in texts and emails involving Dank to be able to make a circumstantial case that it might have been the illegal TB4.
They have evidence from Charter that he ordered TB4 for Dank, and a non committal statement from Alavi that he could possibly have made up either the legal or the illegal form of "thymosin" for Dank from the raw materials provided by Charter.
The trouble is it is only a pathetically inadequate amount for the purpose it is supposed to have served. No matter, it is the best ASADA can come up with. Let's ignore that it might have been for use by Dank's customers other than EFC, let's ignore that there was only one invoice for this small amount of whichever form of thymosin it was, and that that invoice was withdrawn, presumably because the thymosin never reached the club.
TB4 it is then.
What started out as a hunt for human growth hormone related GRHP-2, GRHP-6 & CJC1295 ends up as a prosecution of an unlikely and trumped up case for the use of TB4.
Harcourt's fears for player health as a consequence of the use of HGH related substances is just an AFL illusion, conjured up by an over reaction to ACC suspicions that have proven unfounded.
Loveable Caroline's slanderous condemnation of James Hird and the EFC hierarchy turns out to be gutter journalism of award winning grandeur.
The heart wrenching story of "Sarah" remains a mystery to all those naive enough to doubt the depth to which the AFL is willing to stoop to manipulate public opinion.
Discuss.
It sheds light on what led to the ASADA investigation into the EFC supplement program and, even more significantly, it helps us understand some aspects of the way the investigation has evolved.
It reveals that in 2012 the AFL, for reasons not explained, suspected EFC of using banned substances. Combine this with the revelation of the contents of a letter provided to Essendon players and officials prior to their ASADA interviews, which states that the investigation was aimed at the suspected use of 3 growth hormone related peptides (GRHP-2 GRHP-6 & CJC1295), and we start to understand what the AFL & ASADA expected to find when the EFC was pushed into "self reporting" in Feb 2013.
Harcourt's presentation shows the fears that the AFL & ASADA had about player safety and cancer risks etc were a major concern, and underlay the dramatic nature of what the AFL leaked to Fairfax during the investigation.
However, after an investigation lasting 16 months, the expected outcome of EFC being found to have given growth hormone related peptides to its players has failed to emerge.
Despite their best attempts, the combined efforts of ASADA & the AFL have produced absolutely no evidence to support the original suspicion!
In July 2013, the AFL, having carefully laid the groundwork by selective leaks of damning tidbits of "evidence" via its Fairfax mouthpiece, is left in an awkward position. Essendon is winning enough games to make it a likely finals participant. The AFL has convinced the public that EFC has used illegal performance enhancing supplements. But there is still no sign of any damning evidence to support the original suspicion.
What can the AFL do? It solicits an interim report from ASADA with enough bits & pieces of emails & texts to make it look like something bad has happened (eventhough they can't find any evidence of it). They take strong action against the club, excluding them from the finals & imposing a ban on golden boy James Hird, who has threatened to upset the whole master plan by exposing the AFL manipulation of the investigation to its own chosen agenda. It then hopes the whole thing will fade away, with no further action against the players.
However, ASADA has a different need. Having been thrust into the role of prosecuting the case following the ACC "darkest day" press event, it can't just let the whole thing fade away.
The presumption of growth hormone use has proved to be a fallacy. Blood tests of the entire playing group have shown no sign of its use. No evidence of its use at EFC can found. But the whole investigation was founded on the belief it had been used.
ASADA is desperate to find something........anything, to justify its investigation, and not look like a lame duck pursuing something that doesn't exist.
AOD use is established, but ASADA can't prosecute it without looking incompetent for giving wrong advice.
What is left?
There is plenty of evidence that Dank used "thymosin", one form of which is banned. ASADA have enough in texts and emails involving Dank to be able to make a circumstantial case that it might have been the illegal TB4.
They have evidence from Charter that he ordered TB4 for Dank, and a non committal statement from Alavi that he could possibly have made up either the legal or the illegal form of "thymosin" for Dank from the raw materials provided by Charter.
The trouble is it is only a pathetically inadequate amount for the purpose it is supposed to have served. No matter, it is the best ASADA can come up with. Let's ignore that it might have been for use by Dank's customers other than EFC, let's ignore that there was only one invoice for this small amount of whichever form of thymosin it was, and that that invoice was withdrawn, presumably because the thymosin never reached the club.
TB4 it is then.
What started out as a hunt for human growth hormone related GRHP-2, GRHP-6 & CJC1295 ends up as a prosecution of an unlikely and trumped up case for the use of TB4.
Harcourt's fears for player health as a consequence of the use of HGH related substances is just an AFL illusion, conjured up by an over reaction to ACC suspicions that have proven unfounded.
Loveable Caroline's slanderous condemnation of James Hird and the EFC hierarchy turns out to be gutter journalism of award winning grandeur.
The heart wrenching story of "Sarah" remains a mystery to all those naive enough to doubt the depth to which the AFL is willing to stoop to manipulate public opinion.
Discuss.
