34 Players Banned for doping in the AFL

[Downunder Dolphan]

The biggest drug scandal in AFL history has finally drawn to a close, with 34 past and present Essendon players found guilty of using a banned substance thymosin beta-4 by WADA. Essendon will lose a huge chunk of its playing list for the 2016 season, plus there will be question marks over the legitimacy of Captain Jobe Watson winning the games top individual honor (the Brownlow Medal) during the period of doping in question (and if he gets to keep it).

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-12/cas-upholds-wada-appeal-essendon-anti-doping-verdict/7081874

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has upheld WADA's appeal of the AFL anti-doping tribunal's Essendon verdict, with 34 past and present Bombers players banned for 12 months, which means they will miss the entire 2016 season.

The club confirmed the ban on Tuesday morning.

"Regrettably we can confirm the Court of Arbitration for Sport has found 34 past and present players guilty of committing an anti-doping rule violation," club chairman Lindsay Tanner said in a statement.

"As a result, the players - including 12 currently listed with Essendon - have been suspended for the 2016 season. The club is currently digesting the decision and we will provide a further update later today."

Last March, the tribunal found the 34 were not guilty of using a banned substance thymosin beta-4, relating to the club's 2012 supplements program, led by controversial sports scientist Stephen Dank.

ASADA, who had brought the case, chose not to appeal the decision, but WADA exercised its right to appeal, leading to a hearing in Sydney last November.

There are currently 12 of the original 34 still on the books at Essendon - including captain Jobe Watson and vice-captain Dyson Heppell.

The other current players affected are Michael Hurley, Cale Hooker, Michael Hibberd, Brent Stanton, Travis Colyer, David Myers, Tom Bellchambers, Heath Hocking, Ben Howlett and Tayte Pears.

Watson and the now-retired Dustin Fletcher will reportedly served bans eight days longer than the remaining players as a result of playing for Australia in the 2015 international rules series.

Five other players are at other clubs - Paddy Ryder and Angus Monfries at Port Adelaide, Stewart Crameri with the Western Bulldogs, Jake Carlisle at St Kilda and Jake Melksham at Melbourne.

WADA released a statement on Tuesday confirming the basis of the bans.

"The appeal filed by WADA against the Australian Football League (AFL) Anti-Doping Tribunal's decision of 31 March 2015 is upheld and the appealed decision is set aside," WADA said.

"The 34 players concerned are sanctioned with a period of ineligibility of two years, commencing on 31 March 2015, with credit given for any individual period of ineligibility already served.

"Thus, most of the suspensions will come to an end in November 2016."

WADA's statement said that the CAS panel found "to its comfortable satisfaction" that clause 11.2 of the 2010 AFL anti-doping code had been violated, and found by a majority that "all players were significantly at fault".

The verdict also raises questions over the 2012 Brownlow Medal victory of Essendon skipper Watson.

The three-year saga has led to a number of senior figures leaving Essendon, including the former chief executive Ian Robson, former chairman David Evans and his replacement Paul Little, and former coach James Hird.

Hird was banned for 12 months in 2013 when the AFL fined the club $2 million and kicked the Bombers out of that year's finals series.

Hird returned after the conclusion of his ban, but he resigned in August last year to allow the Bombers to have a fresh start under a new coach.

More to come.

[Sunstroke]

Have to admit that I needed to look up the AFL. My first thought was that it was the Arena Football League.

[Tenshot13]

Have to admit that I needed to look up the AFL. My first thought was that it was the Arena Football League.

I was thinking before the NFL merger and was wondering if my ganj was laced and I time traveled.

[CF DolFan]

Have to admit that I needed to look up the AFL. My first thought was that it was the Arena Football League.

Me too. I was so confused.

[Downunder Dolphan]

Australian Football League which plays (naturally) Australian Rules Football. As far as professional sports in Australia go this is the absolute top of the pile in terms of money ($1.25 billion in the last TV rights alone, will probably be over $2 billion from 2017), attendance and media exposure - it's basically the local equivalent of the NFL which makes this particular doping scandal a big deal.

For those who haven't followed the story, one of the top teams introduced a supplements regime allegedly using some drugs that were not just banned as performance enhancing, but not even deemed fit for use in humans. Thymosin beta-4 was the one they eventually got stung with, but it sounded like there was a lot more wacky stuff that was being experimented with - the injections were done off site at private clinics and it appears a lot of records were destroyed in an effort to cover this up. Virtually the whole team were made to sign contracts saying they would indemnify the club's actions while they were effectively being used as lab rats - it was systematic cheating that was also potentially very dangerous to the players' health.

When the story broke the President immediately stood down, and after a lengthy (and very costly) legal battle the AFL suspended the coach 12 months, fined the club $2 million, banned them from playing in the 2013 playoff series (since they had won enough games to be eligible), and stripped them of their top two draft picks for two years. The sports scientist who administered the supplement scheme was banned for life. After they had learned of the health risks of what they were exposed to (and having the burden of possible suspensions hang over their heads) the players basically gave up on the coach (some left for other teams) and he accordingly resigned last year.

[Phishfan]

The guy's handle is Downunder Dolphan. I'm happy to say I figured it out immediately.

[Sunstroke]

I pretty much figured it wasn't the Arena Football League when I read the team name was Essendon. That said, I have never seen any organized Australian Rules Football games in my life...and I've been to Australia twice.