Oppo Camp Non Eagles Discussion Thread

[ep2018]

June 13 - lock it in.

I'll be there.

 

[squashface]

Didn't Watson confess to taking a banned substance?

 

[ziad]

Didn't Watson confess to taking a banned substance?

rhetorical I presume

 

[Ochre]

Didn't Watson confess to taking a banned substance?

Possibly, but everyone was distracted by the halo shining above his head that night.

 

[Eagle87]

Some people are so vindictive its truly amazing. Just for one second let's imagine it was our players under the microscope. Would we be baying for the livelihoods of our players knowing they did nothing but follow the instructions of their club?

Obviously the system they had going on at Essendon was terrible and should never be replicated. But they have been punished losing draft picks and premiership points. That may not be enough for some but considering none of their players have tested positive for taking a banned substance not much else can be done. Whilst I think what happened at Essendon was disgraceful I am so glad the players who in my opinion have done nothing wrong, are not going to be punished!

It's not a question of being vindictive.

I mean Ben Cousins didn't test positive for anything but was found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute.

Arguing that you can hide behind "the club made me do it" is no different to excusing East German athletes or Chinese swimmers. The players have obligations and, at least some Essendon players decided against participation, suggesting it was neither compulsory nor done with absolute conformity of view.

They choose to participate.

The lack of a positive test isn't an automatic get out clause and hearing them today talking about being vindicated and knowing they did nothing wrong is absolute and utter bollocks. IMO.

 

[kane249]

Didn't Watson confess to taking a banned substance?

Yes, although it was ruled the substance AOD wasn't banned at the time

 

[Eagle87]

At around the 3 minute mark but worth watching the lot

 

[BlueandGoldforever]

It's not a question of being vindictive.

I mean Ben Cousins didn't test positive for anything but was found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute.

Arguing that you can hide behind "the club made me do it" is no different to excusing East German athletes or Chinese swimmers. The players have obligations and, at least some Essendon players decided against participation, suggesting it was neither compulsory nor done with absolute conformity of view.

They choose to participate.

The lack of a positive test isn't an automatic get out clause and hearing them today talking about being vindicated and knowing they did nothing wrong is absolute and utter bollocks. IMO.

I agree. Just because you can't prove exactly what the Essendon players took, doesn't mean that the 4400 substances injected into them were all legal.

Furthermore, if Stephen Dank was so confident of what he injected the players was legal, he would have testified, not avoided every opportunity - besides blasting off to the media - that what he did was above board.

I am willing to bet $1 million that WADA appeal the decision. They always do until the maximum sentence is achieved.

 

[MIKE85]

I agree. Just because you can't prove exactly what the Essendon players took, doesn't mean that the 4400 substances injected into them were all legal.

Furthermore, if Stephen Dank was so confident of what he injected the players was legal, he would have testified, not avoided every opportunity - besides blasting off to the media - that what he did was above board.

I am willing to bet $1 million that WADA appeal the decision. They always do until the maximum sentence is achieved.

If WADA do appeal, what chance do they have of actually getting the decision over turned?? If the tribunal have said there wasn't enough evidence to find them guilty, how will WADA be able to prove it??

Don't get me wrong, it's an absolute joke they got off, and everyone knows some sketchy shit went on, but it seems they did a pretty good job of covering it up and destroying any evidence there may have been.

 

[WCErevival]

Yep, saved Lance Armstrong too .....

.... oh wait.

It was a systematic program outside the rules. Someone needs to be banned.

The difference is he was only one person compared to 34. There were also a lot of witnesses against him plus a blood sample too if I remember.

What I dont get is Dank has admitted to using TB4. So we know they did the dodgy but they cant put a blanket over 34 players without knowing exactly what has gone in each individual. Essendon are going to stink of cheating for a long time after this.

 

[Woobla Stainz]

Why was there any evidence missing at all? A professional organisation keeps every single record of every single event, for example I was asked to go to the shops to buy milk for the lunch room I had to keep the receipt and hand it in for the receptionist to scan and store on file for the next 5 years.

If any evidence was missing it was missing on purpose meaning that they had something to hide, even the ASADA rep was utterly disgusted about the verdict as he knew it happened but lacked the evidence to satisfy 100% proof, this is not the end the truth comes out eventually..........

 

[WCE_phil]

One person I do have a lot of respect for is David Zaharakis. He knew what was going on and against almost all the members of the squad he chose not to participate in the program. What's right isn't always easy and i tip my hat to him.

 

[kane249]

One person I do have a lot of respect for is David Zaharakis. He knew what was going on and against almost all the members of the squad he chose not to participate in the program. What's right isn't always easy and i tip my hat to him.

I thought it was because he had a fear of needles so that's why he didn't partcipate?

 

[WCEforeverman]

One person I do have a lot of respect for is David Zaharakis. He knew what was going on and against almost all the members of the squad he chose not to participate in the program. What's right isn't always easy and i tip my hat to him.

I thought his motivations weren't that honourable and that he just doesn't like needles?

EDIT: What he said^

 

[The Falcon Strike]

I thought it was because he had a fear of needles so that's why he didn't partcipate?

There is a story that came out - that the "no needles" narrative was simply a story trotted out to hide his actual discomfort with the whole program

Like everything else with this - who knows where the truth lies?

 

[WCE_phil]

I was told by someone at the EFC the needle thing was a load of shite.

 

[Yamumluvsbigcox]

Essendon be found not guilty will give the players the view they did nothing wrong .
I would have preferred the case was dismissed due to lack of evidence

 

[Keys]

Essendon be found not guilty will give the players the view they did nothing wrong .
I would have preferred the case was dismissed due to lack of evidence

Thats what happened. They were found not guilty because the evidence didn't support the charge to the required level of satisfaction

They weren't found innocent

 

[Dark Sharks]

 

[DudleyDocker]

It is frustrating when reporters and people go on about our tainted year in 2006 but i think it is worse for the Bombers with 2011/2012 being a lot worse and then there is Watson and his brownlow!

I don't usually feel sorry for Fremantle but i can see Crowley getting 12 months for a painkiller when the Bombers get off cheating.

I'll put a carton on 2 years - AFL will show it is tough on drugs (as long as it's one-off and not a systematic program).

 

[Yamumluvsbigcox]

I don't think this is going away soon a lot of angry sports people from other codes upset about the essendon decision .

 

[Woobla Stainz]

Essendon players found not guilty but Jobe Watson said him self that they still dont know what they were injected with i mean WTF???? How f**king hard is it to find out what they were injected with after two years? Dank took all the records and burnt them.

ASADA were not able to prove what they were injected with no more than Essendon could prove they weren't injected with PID. So its a case of innocent until proven guilty.

 

[Yamumluvsbigcox]

Essendon players found not guilty but Jobe Watson said him self that they still dont know what they were injected with i mean WTF???? How f**king hard is it to find out what they were injected with after two years? Dank took all the records and burnt them.

ASADA were not able to prove what they were injected with no more than Essendon could prove they weren't injected with PID. So its a case of innocent until proven guilty.

The people that administered the injections didn't have to testify and it was not recorded properly of what had been administered . So no one could be certain of what they were injected with .
Also Steven dank and dean Robinson were sacked so they were under no obligation the provide evidence.
Even though they has evidence that an associate of danks bought beta 4 there was no evidence players had taken it .

 

[ep2018]

Imagine the AFL trying to negotiate a TV rights deal when one of their biggest cash cows had their players suspended for two years? Imagine how much $$$$$ the AFL would have lost in crowd and merchandise revenue?

AFL tipped them off to an investigation, AFL muddied the water so ASADA couldn't clean grasp anything, AFL intentionally release classified information in order to try and get the whole thing thrown out.

AFL didn't have much integrity or credibility to begin with but it has absolutely none now. And the worst part? They tried to throw our proud club under the bus when things went rough for us.

 

[Tom Kerrigan]

To be honest I am 100% happy with the decision - I kind of think they made the wrong decision for the right reasons if you know what i mean. It sounds like it was very very likely the players took substances that were banned (there's also the chance they DIDN'T take beta 4 which I hope is the case) but I also don't think anyone believes the 34 players knowingly chose to do the wrong thing with it all.

Finding that there was not enough evidence to convict them doesn't absolve the essendon football club of blame - rather it casts a spotlight on the dodginess of the whole program, and I'm sure the whole sporting world is looking harshly at the Essendon officials responsible like Dank, The Weapon, possibly Hird and Little and definitely all the club doctors. However finding the players guilty would do more harm to the lives of 34 people then it would do good in discracing essendon officials. The players have obviously had a s**t few years as a result of this and I really feel for them and am glad they can resume their careers and lives and just play footy again.

It's not the best look for our sport that this verdict has happened but I'm far happier that 34 human beings (who were the real victims of the saga) and their families have achieved the best outcome of the trial and can now move on a bit. The club will still look dodgy, the other clubs have been given a wake up call and it's unlikely that the Essendon drug program will now repeat itself anywhere else, the players have already been punished through scrutiny and the finals ban (for POSSIBLY committing a crime they had no idea about) and now these 34 people can move on as long as ASADA hopefully doesn't appeal.

So yeah I'm relieved for them that the case turned out the way it did.