From ABC wrap from ASADA presser
Ben McDevitt:
"To be blunt, the AFL tribunal simply got it wrong.
"Now that the CAS decision is final, I can share some facts of the case, some which have previously been confidential.
"Broadly, there was clear evidence that members of the club implemented a program designed to make Essendon players bigger and stronger and able to recover more quickly to gain an advantage over their opposition.
"In the words of Stephen Dank 'Thymosin was the vital cornerstone of that program'."
- Essendon's sports scientist Stephen Dank was shown to have used Thymosin Beta-4 on other athletes prior to his arrival at Essendon
- There were over 100 text messages that unveiled a plan to source Thymosin Beta-4 for the purpose of doping the Essendon team
- The players signed consent forms agreeing to Thymosin injections and each received a number of injections
- Six players reported being told they were being injected with Thymosin
- Two players reported seeing vials marked with the word "Thymosin" in the sports scientist's fridge
- Two players sent text messages discussing their Thymosin injections with Stephen Dank
- Scientific analysis of a substance compounded by the pharmacist for Essendon showed that the substance was no other kind of Thymosin other than Thymosin Beta-4 with a 97-99 per cent accuracy
"At the end of the day, 34 players signed on to receive four substances. Yes, they were told the injection program was WADA compliant but they adopted a head-in-the-sand approach in contravention of their anti-doping education.
"They agreed to keep it a secret.
"They failed to declare the injections to doping control officers, they accepted that they were walking close to the line and they deliberately kept it from the team doctor."