Player sanctions for Essendon and Cronulla players imminent

[perthmagpie]

Looks like the Hun is going to release the names of ten Essendon players named in the ASADA investigation. I expect all or almost all will be senior players.

[Proud Pies]

[RudeBoy]

I honestly can't see it happening.

[Brown26]

Lawyers can make everything disappear, can't they Rudeboy?

- Ben

[Cam]

Choo choo its coming.

[Redlight]

If ten Essendon players are given 'please explain' letters and it becomes public, giving them no penalty will not be an acceptable option.

The AFL can't allow the perception that they're going easy on this issue. The likelyhood is that they would react on the harsher side just to protect their public image.

From the AFL point of view this is all about perception. They'll seek to control that and if that means sacrificing a few players to protect their own arses, they will do it.

[Bucks5]

There is too much doubt on the legal status of the AOD9604 and whether they took the banned version of Thymosin... They will get off lightly.

[perthmagpie]

I think ThymosinB4 is the serious substance here. If there is enough circumstantial evidence it was this version of Thymosin then you would have to think all those players will be banned. It did appear from press reports of text messages and paperwork that it was the banned version they took.

[qldmagpie67]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/e ... 33szw.html

Interesting article again. The emergency meeting will be interesting as well. I would love to be a fly on the wall when Little asks how did it come to this.
10 players facing show cause notices which equals in real terms "why shouldn't you be rubbed out for 2yrs"
The peptide in question Thymosin is a dangerous drug and the ASADA website states "it is not fit for the use on humans"
This warning dates back to 2010 so Essendon medical staff, coaching staff, players and sports medicine people would have known it was a substance that wasn't to be used.
Now it looks a open and shut case of they are guilty and can't escape severe sanctions.
The bigger questions for me are as follows

1- Hirds slap over the wrist with a limp lettuce leaf must place the AFL clearly in the sights of ASADA as well as it has the power to revisit Hirds penalty and issue a penalty they feel appropriate. If this happens then the AFL and AFL commission have not acted in the best interests of the game.
2- With the above being factual then the CEO and commission positions are completely untenable. They must resign there posts immediately and apologize to the game for there inept attempts to cover this scandal up trying to protect the Essendon "messiah"
3- Surely now the axe must fall on bomber Thompson as well as he was clearly involved in all aspects of this as Hirds right hand man. He can't be allowed to coach this year under any circumstances until it is proven he had no knowledge at all about the doping regime. I doubt he would have had no knowledge he is a control freak type personality and would have a full understanding of this program.
4- If Essendon have 10 players issued with infraction notices the AFL must suspend the players immediately. So can Essendon field a team at let alone a competitive team (which I really don't care if they get flogged by 30 goals every game) but the AFL has contractual obligations with TV networks and other media outlets worth hundreds of millions of dollars to play a certain amount of games each week. Will the AFL make a special circumstances decision and allow Essendon to use players not currently on there list ? Will they allow Essendon to replace suspended players on there list with players from the VFL or other leagues ? What happens to the salaries of these players ? Do the suspended players still receive there payments (like Hird) whilst they are suspended ? If so how would Essendon be able to pay other players and still be under the salary cap ?

This mess created by Essendon could have ramifications on every team in the competition. If the AFL breaches it's contractual arrangements with the various broadcasters not only could they lose hundreds of millions of dollars but also be taken to court by the broadcasters for breach of contract and sued for damages.
This financial disaster could end the existence of Melbourne, Lions, GWS, Suns, Bulldogs, St Kilda, Port Adelaide, Essendon, Swans
Every club to a degree relies on the income from there share of the broadcast deal to fund many aspects of there operations.
If Essendon can't field a side the we could have a situation which has every chance of bringing this game to its knees.
The AFL have a very very hard road in front of them and I doubt they have the capacity to be able to administer this situation effectively using past events as a guide.
Fingers crossed some how some where the AFL find a group of administrators who can navigate this mine field without ruining the game for all the fans.
Solution ??

Well call me radical or a nut case but this is what I believe must happen.

Take the Tasmanian government up on there offer to help fund a permanent AFL team.
Take Essendon completely out of existence and start a new entity in Tasmania with new board, coaches and officials.
Take the players who are not rubbed out and relocate them as part of the new team.
Ask each club to give the new entity 1 non required player from there list (each club can the elevate 1 rookie to there full time list) to make up the numbers so the new entity can field a team.

This solves a number of problems
1- It meets the commitments with the broadcasters
2- It's easy to adjust the draw
3- It rids the game of the Vernon called Essendon which has brought more disgrace on the game in the past 12 months than all other clubs combined in the history of the game.
4- It makes life easier for other Melbourne based clubs and gives the AFL fans in Tasmania there own team.

Finally all records pertaining to the Essendon FC must be deleted from the history of the game. They can't be acknowledged in any way shape or form to have ever existed.

Time will tell but I think the day of reckoning is fast approaching.

[warburton lad]

Not seeking the moral high ground here but given the harsh penalties Heater and Maxy got in 2011, any slap over the Essendon wrists with a warm bit of lettuce would be an utter disgrace.

[John Wren]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/essendon-in-crisis-as-players-set-to-be-named-in-banned-drugs-inquiry-20140301-33szw.html

Interesting article again. The emergency meeting will be interesting as well. I would love to be a fly on the wall when Little asks how did it come to this.
10 players facing show cause notices which equals in real terms "why shouldn't you be rubbed out for 2yrs"
The peptide in question Thymosin is a dangerous drug and the ASADA website states "it is not fit for the use on humans"
This warning dates back to 2010 so Essendon medical staff, coaching staff, players and sports medicine people would have known it was a substance that wasn't to be used.
Now it looks a open and shut case of they are guilty and can't escape severe sanctions.

...

This solves a number of problems
1- It meets the commitments with the broadcasters
2- It's easy to adjust the draw
3- It rids the game of the Vernon called Essendon which has brought more disgrace on the game in the past 12 months than all other clubs combined in the history of the game.
4- It makes life easier for other Melbourne based clubs and gives the AFL fans in Tasmania there own team.

Finally all records pertaining to the Essendon FC must be deleted from the history of the game. They can't be acknowledged in any way shape or form to have ever existed.

Time will tell but I think the day of reckoning is fast approaching.

really?! you're getting a bit excited there.

if this was collingwood what would your reaction be? would you want us to shut up shop in the manner you have described? what about the favourite son, buckley? would you want to see a tassie team in our stead?

this is unchartered territory for not only the league but also australian sport. unlike the many infractions previously dished out to athletes we're talking about a team, a collective rather an individual pursuit.

it is all well and good to go belting the afl around the ears but asada must share some of the blame here for what appears to be ineptitude on their part.

the next few months are going to be very interesting indeed. this saga's narrative will run as a backdrop to the season and my only hope is that it does not overshadow the season like last year.

we shouldn't harbour thoughts to remove essendon from the afl. we need the essendon football club to remain in the competition. forget the broadcasting rights, this is more than that. ostensibly, eradicating essendon would be eradicating part of the fabric of afl society and (melbourne) society in general.

[swoop42]

Those strong Essendon teams of the 80's (you can add in the hawks as well) didn't come naturally.

They have history.

Stuff em.

[perthmagpie]

ASADA seem to have been underfunded. But nowhere is it clear they have stuffed up on the possible infraction notices over ThymosinB4. Simply people keep complaining that ASADA are incompetent but time will tell if the circumstantial evidence is strong enough over that substance. Forget the other drugs. It is this one that is that will get those ten players banned for sure. The problem is all Essendon's. The coach, the sports science guys and footy dept were all rogue and either did not keep records or destroyed them to hide the systemic abuse. That is not Asada's fault. They are forced to go the long path of collecting evidence and piecing it all together just like Usada did with Armstrong. If you ask me the fact Dank was not asked or forced to give evidence before the winding up of the evidentiary stage is a bad sign for Essendon. It could mean ASADA didn't need him as they believe they have what is required to issue infraction notices already.

[qldmagpie67]

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/essendon-in-crisis-as-players-set-to-be-named-in-banned-drugs-inquiry-20140301-33szw.html

Interesting article again. The emergency meeting will be interesting as well. I would love to be a fly on the wall when Little asks how did it come to this.
10 players facing show cause notices which equals in real terms "why shouldn't you be rubbed out for 2yrs"
The peptide in question Thymosin is a dangerous drug and the ASADA website states "it is not fit for the use on humans"
This warning dates back to 2010 so Essendon medical staff, coaching staff, players and sports medicine people would have known it was a substance that wasn't to be used.
Now it looks a open and shut case of they are guilty and can't escape severe sanctions.

...

This solves a number of problems
1- It meets the commitments with the broadcasters
2- It's easy to adjust the draw
3- It rids the game of the Vernon called Essendon which has brought more disgrace on the game in the past 12 months than all other clubs combined in the history of the game.
4- It makes life easier for other Melbourne based clubs and gives the AFL fans in Tasmania there own team.

Finally all records pertaining to the Essendon FC must be deleted from the history of the game. They can't be acknowledged in any way shape or form to have ever existed.

Time will tell but I think the day of reckoning is fast approaching.

really?! you're getting a bit excited there.

if this was collingwood what would your reaction be? would you want us to shut up shop in the manner you have described? what about the favourite son, buckley? would you want to see a tassie team in our stead?

this is unchartered territory for not only the league but also australian sport. unlike the many infractions previously dished out to athletes we're talking about a team, a collective rather an individual pursuit.

it is all well and good to go belting the afl around the ears but asada must share some of the blame here for what appears to be ineptitude on their part.

the next few months are going to be very interesting indeed. this saga's narrative will run as a backdrop to the season and my only hope is that it does not overshadow the season like last year.

we shouldn't harbour thoughts to remove essendon from the afl. we need the essendon football club to remain in the competition. forget the broadcasting rights, this is more than that. ostensibly, eradicating essendon would be eradicating part of the fabric of afl society and (melbourne) society in general.

All due respect John but if the shoe was on the other foot the other clubs would be kicking the door down at AFL house demanding we get booted out and Essendon would be first in the queue.
The broadcast rights is very central to this issue because if the AFL doesn't meet it's contractual obligations then the broadcasters will take the necessary action to protect there rights and recoup any prepaid monies.
With no money in th coffers to prop up several clubs then there is no competition.
So should the whole competition and it's history be sacrificed to protect a club who knowingly injected there players with at best questionable substances to gain an unfair advantage over the rest of the competition ?
If you advocate this line of thinking to protect Essendon at all costs then maybe you would be better off posting in a forum more suitable like bombers blitz where there one eyed comments still have them believing they did nothing wrong.
Essendon have risked the whole competition with there choices. No one made them take this path they chose too. If you one second you think that the broadcasters won't be calling the AFL demanding action to get the focus on football matches (we're they invested there billion + dollars) then you live in a dream world.
If you really believe that Essendon should remain in the competition then your entitled to that opinion. But if you support AFL no matter what club then you must know Essendon can't be allowed to go on past this point. They are a club who has no moral fibre as proven by there chosen path of doping there players.
But thanks for your opinion as I always say everyone is entitled to an opinion.

[Bucks5]

According to the Herald Sun these 12 players are the victims. This journal must be a Essendon supporter to be so balanced (not)..


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/d ... 6842452245