Mega Thread Hot Topic - Drugs and AFL

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Probably deserves to go in the Lance Armstrong thread on the Black Diamond Corner board - but here is a great case of where the controlling body is more worried about image and turning a blind eye and $$$ what ends up happening.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-09/lance-armstrong-paid-1m-to-join-2009-tour-down-under/6291258
A report into doping in cycling has revealed Lance Armstrong was paid $1 million to return to cycling in the 2009 Tour Down Under in South Australia.

The report from the Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) has also said the International Cycling Union (UCI) president Pat McQuaid allowed Armstrong to race in the 2009 tour despite not being available for drug testing in the requisite six months prior.

It said it understood Armstrong received a $1 million appearance fee to compete in the race and after he was cleared to ride, he agreed to appear for free at the Tour of Ireland, an event organised by McQuaid's brother.The report said Armstrong would have received a total of $US3 million for taking part in the Tour Down Under from 2009 to 2011.The South Australian Government has repeatedly refused to reveal how much it paid Armstrong to ride in the event, citing commercial reasons.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-09/lance-armstrong-paid-1m-to-join-2009-tour-down-under/6291258

and

Report suggests UCI chiefs 'protected' Armstrong
The CIRC report went further to accuse top leaders of cycling's world body of protecting Armstrong and other drug cheats to protect the sports reputation.

UCI president Brian Cookson said the report highlighted "that in the past the UCI suffered severely from a lack of good governance with individuals taking crucial decisions alone, many of which undermined anti-doping efforts." Cookson did not name individuals, but the CIRC report pointed a damning finger at past presidents Hein Verbruggen and McQuaid. The commission said it found no links between donations amounting to US$125,000 he made to the UCI and a cover up of his drug failures. The CIRC gave a damning assessment, however, of efforts by Verbruggen and McQuaid to shield Armstrong from investigation.

"Numerous examples have been identified showing that UCI leadership 'defended' or 'protected' Lance Armstrong and took decisions because they were favourable to him. This was in circumstances where there was strong reason to suspect him of doping," said the report.

The report also claimed the UCI "purposely limited the scope" of one 2005 independent investigation into Armstrong, and the rider's lawyers wrote portions of its final report. "UCI exempted Lance Armstrong from rules, failed to target test him despite the suspicions, and publicly supported him against allegations of doping, even as late as 2012.
 
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And from ABC Radio's PM program - The UCI lets Armstrong back early UCI president Pat McQuaid is Irish and surprise surprise Armstrong rides that tour for free - a tournament who's project director is McQuaid's brother.

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2015/s4194070.htm
NATALIE WHITING: For the three years Armstrong competed in the Tour Down Under, crowd attendances soared and he earned $3 million for his Livestrong charity.

But he shouldn't have been allowed to ride in 2009. Armstrong fell 13 days short of a six month period of anti-doping testing before the race, which was required under international rules.

Despite initially saying he couldn't compete, the then-president of the UCI, Pat McQuaid, had a sudden change of heart.

A report released today has aired allegations that an agreement was struck between the two men.

On the same day Pat McQuaid changed his decision, Armstrong agreed to race in the Tour of Ireland for free. The project director of that race was Pat McQuaid's brother.

The report says while there is no direct evidence of the deal, it says documents highlight a temporal link.

Phil Anderson says he will be very disappointed if that was the case.
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2015/s4194070.htm

and you get cycling great Phil Anderson trying to bury it because it might look bad for the sport.

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2015/s4194070.htm
PHIL ANDERSON: Yeah, a lot of changes have come about, and, you know, I think, you know, if you keep analysing and over-analysing, you know, you can always find some suspicion there.

But you know I think that's, you know, that's counterproductive at this stage.

You know, I think this report will bring some things out, and yeah, as long as those things are cleaned up and, you know, I believe the current presidency is tackling the problems head on.

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2015/s4194070.htm
 

Grave Danger

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Janus

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RossFC

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proman_x

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AFL has an easy option to look faux tough. Give backdated penalties to not miss any of the H&A, but strip Watson of his Brownlow.
I can not see how they can allow Watson to keep his medal after all this. You could be correct, although I think they will also give the players at least 3 or 4 games.
 

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Jobe was averaging 2 Brownlow votes a game in 2012 until the wheels fell off. 26 votes in 13 games. Would be a record or close to it. He polled 4 votes in the remaining 9 games. If found guilty he no longer would qualify under the "fairest" rule so the medal should go to the runners up - Mitchell and Cotchin.
 

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If they are revealing the results 2 days before round 1 surely that implies the players will get a slap on the wrist and be able to play?? If they were going to get weeks or months of suspension surely they would release that information now or several weeks before round 1 so that all affected clubs and players at least know where they stand and have a reasonable amount of time to prepare - not 2 days. That seems ridiculous to me, but given how this whole thing has played out may not be surprising.
 

Grave Danger

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Strong rumours on the freo board that Crowleys absence is drug related.

All Ross Lyon has said at a presser today is that Crowley is dealing with "issues that prevent him from playing". Sympathies for the bloke if it's something outside his control - otherwise, as Andre says, a nice old distraction just a few weeks before round one!
 
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Slap on the wrist incoming.
No I dont want a wrist slapping - purely from a selfish Port point of view. A wrist slap will mean a Wada appeal who will by pass the Appeals Board and straight to CAS which could take another 12-18 months to get a final result. That means a 12-18 month provisional suspension status for our 2 players which means they could miss all of 2015 and 2016. a 12 month suspension backdated to early June last year is probably the best result which given the Cronulla result I cant see WADA appealing that ruling.
 
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