Essendon players issued with show cause notices

[buzzlightyear]

But all players who were at Essendon in 2012?

Three's enough for the HS article to be incorrect. They are not all Essendon players .

Shucks.

29 current Essendon players, 3 who are playing AFL elsewhere but were at Essendon during 2012 (named above) and 2 others who must be no longer playing AFL but are playing at a lower level. I'd guess KReimers would be one of them, any guesses for another?

Henry Slattery is playing for Port Adelaide in the SANFL. Brent Prismall is playing at Williamstown

[Doc63]

As much as I'm keen to see Essendon held to account over this, the inevitable appearance of show cause notices is just a further step in ensuring that the players are made scapegoats for the unethical and manipulative decisions of their superiors. The real villains of the piece are Hird, Thompson, Dank, Robinson and the rest of the Essendon administration who allowed this to take place under their watch, and they and their club should be severely punished. Unfortunately, it seems that their sanctions will be minor compared to that inflicted on the young men who placed faith in their club's hierarchical structure.

If any good can come out of this, perhaps it will be a stronger AFLPA and less tolerance for authoritarian club structures. But that's being very optimistic.

While I agree with what you say here, the players are ultimately responsible for what goes into theie body.

Every professional sportsperson in this country is given a book containing what drugs they can & cant take, and there is also a reverse charge phone number that they can call, 24/7, from anywhere in the world.

Yes, they have been shafted by people who they trusted, but they allowed themselves to be.

Do you think Eastern Block and Chinese athletes had a choice, like the Essendon players did?

[ANNODAM]

Bomber Blitz, or whatever its called, must be interesting reading at the minute.

Indeed!

But I bet the majority will still have their heads in the sand & continue their "we are innocent" crap.

Golden boy may purchase a place in Majorca & never came back to AU.

[Flashman]

^^^^
If an Olympian used the "I didn't know what injection my coach was giving me/he told me it was legal" defense they'd be laughed out of the room.

With all the information out there on what constitutes legal and illegal practices pertaining to injecting programs ignorance is no longer an excuse.

I felt more for the young kid from St Kilda who bought an over the counter supplement drink (contrasted with the shadily sourced products the Essendon guys were systematically injected with) that contained a banned substance and believe him implicitly when he said he wasn't aware of that but to the letter of the law he transgressed and had to be punished.

The rules have to be enforced because if allowances are made or grey areas excused then they will soon be exploited and the anti-doping agencies and sport as a whole loses.

[ANNODAM]

Every professional sportsperson in this country is given a book containing what drugs they can & cant take, and there is also a reverse charge phone number that they can call, 24/7, from anywhere in the world.

My nearly 13yo daughter has been given several copies & she only plays Club level Softball/Baseball.
She has also represented VIC & again we were given more copies before each tournament.

So this crap about not knowing what is going into their bodies, is pure & utter bullshit!

If a shit kicker like me can understand the process, I cannot see how the EFC can escape this???

[And]

Q: Why were they being regularly injected with substances?

A: To gain an advantage over the rest.

No mercy, case closed and throw them out of the comp. If they want to spend millions fighting it in courts that's fine. Just as long as their delusional supporters are happy to pay for it.

[yin-YANG]

Players need to be held accountable - and when they are - the AFL need to punish the managers like Hird properly!

I am not sure how it all works and why the players have to prove their innocence? seems strange really - surely their guilt is needed to be proven and then if deemed guilty, then a penalty applied accordingly.

With re to players lists etc - Bummers will have to make do with a lot of VFL players I would suggest. They will still play on but will clearly be cellar dwellers and a percentage booster most weeks. No doubt this will scar the club and lead to a lot of bummers leaving the club etc - but it is the harsh reality of cheating/ignorance and getting caught out!

[mandy]

I hope EFC get their soul ripped out, what they did is the worst cheating I have ever seen in Footy.

I'd personally rate Carlton cheating it's way to premierships as worse, mainly because they got away with it.

Same. And it's for that reason I hope Essendon get off. Or at the very least have none of their players suspended. It's not like anything they did made them any better anyway.

I hate Carlton so much and it seems their supporters are gunning for Essendon's demise more than anyone else because they're so desperate to lose the title "Only Carlton cheats."

Stuff them. I want them to keep it!

[yin-YANG]

Both cheats... Carlton were better at it - have been doing it for longer and managed to get a flag from their cheating whereas Bummers have wrecked any chance a young team winning a flag and are seriously looking at the 2020's before they are a contender again

[Damien]

This issue has come so far that some of the stuff at the very beginning is now just an after thought. Remember some of the email transcripts at the start between Hird and Dank and Carters? Quotes like 'I've got the good stuff' etc.. Essendon might challenge the process but the fact will remain that they cheated and unfortunately for the players they will pay for the clubs crime too.

[Flashman]

When Carlton were busted they should have investigated actually how far back it went and if was going on back in 1995 (which you'd have to think it was) then they should have been stripped of the premiership ala Melbourne Storm along with the draft penalties and fine.

Otherwise they did get away with cheating.

[ANNODAM]

^ Yes I agree.

Thank God it wasn't us, is all I can say, on both accounts!


We'd NEVER live it down!

[Warbler]

I hate Carlton with a passion , but they didn't endanger their players to cheat , nope Essendrugs have that distinction all to themselves .

I'm hoping that when the players are suspended they all sue the Tird for loss of wages , loss of reputation & anything else their lawyers can come up with .

If you think that I'm pissed that Tird seems to be missing all this , while the players are copping it - YOU'RE CORRECT .

GO PIES

[think positive]

I hope EFC get their soul ripped out, what they did is the worst cheating I have ever seen in Footy.

I'd personally rate Carlton cheating it's way to premierships as worse, mainly because they got away with it.

Same. And it's for that reason I hope Essendon get off. Or at the very least have none of their players suspended. It's not like anything they did made them any better anyway.

I hate Carlton so much and it seems their supporters are gunning for Essendon's demise more than anyone else because they're so desperate to lose the title "Only Carlton cheats."

Stuff them. I want them to keep it!

Nop I'm with 1061 there is no comparison

They didn't just cheat they put player welfare at risk, make an example of them, becUse this must never happen again

[BEAMER09]

Correct - all because of one effffff head Tird massively disrupting the club, players and supporters. An AFL disgrace and how they can continue to pay him and it and bring him back after his suspension is beyond belief.

Maybe someone should ask Tird to inject his kids with all the substances given to the Essendon players - would he? NO because it ain't his kids.