News Dons ASADA scandal (Latest: Pg 101 - CAS verdict. Guilty, 12 months.)

[Soaring Magpie]

Really hope this doesn't drag out for months and months, just deal with it so the footy world can move on!!

 

[TradeDraft]

Really hope this doesn't drag out for months and months, just deal with it so the footy world can move on!!

It will at least take the Whole Season and Most Likely take most of next year as well.

Well IF the AFL and ASADA did not make a Joke of the Investigation and Massively Stuffed Up - Then maybe WADA did not need to Appeal

 

[Soaring Magpie]

It will at least take the Whole Season and Most Likely take most of next year as well.

Well IF the AFL and ASADA did not make a Joke of the Investigation and Massively Stuffed Up - Then maybe WADA did not need to Appeal

Wada will want it dealt with asap, can't see it being drawn out longer than this year

 

[PieNSauce]

I have to admit that I don't want to see the players found guilty no matter what. What I would like to see is that scumbag Hird banned from participation in any sport for life.

 

[Helfarch]

I have to admit that I don't want to see the players found guilty no matter what. What I would like to see is that scumbag Hird banned from participation in any sport for life.

For Hird to be held to account the players will have to be banned for 2 years. Honestly WADA should be going for the maximum for everyone involved for compounding their stupidity throughout the investigation and farcical tribunal hearing.

I can't see Essendon getting out of this, the tribunal finding Dank guilty of trafficking and attempted trafficking of several banned substances put the final nail in their coffin, they just didn't know it (how they couldn't see that I have no idea). It conclusively exposed the Tribunal as being a biased farce. Even if the tribunal had used their brain and found them guilty and given them all 6 months WADA would be all over this because the club and the AFL seems to think they are bigger and can do what they want after signing up to the code.

They are not bigger and they can't do what they want, WADA owns them and the federal govt. directly and or indirectly will ensure they do what they're told. In the end WADA has the power to cease international competition for all our major sports.

 

[Obese Arachnid]

Saw this on the HTB, thought it quite funny.

 

[Finnishpie]

Honestly, Hird has to go. His claims about the players being "innocent". His refusal to take any responsibility. If he wasn't a favourite son, he'd have been sacked years ago.

 

[swoop42]

Chip was on SEN and suggested that the document that Hird referred to, as well as others, were in fact handed over but lacked any vigour or credibility.

So under pressure from Gerard on 360 all Hird could come up with was some document that he knew had already been discredited and/or lacked credibility.

There are two reasons that there are no credible documents that have been produced:

1) They do not exist
2) They exist but do nothing but damn Essendon and therefore have not seen the light of day.

Exactly.

If a club was wanting to inject players with a banned substance why would they keep records of it?

 

[35Daicos]

Really hope this doesn't drag out for months and months, just deal with it so the footy world can move on!!

Even though I'm as sick of this long running saga as most other people must be, I do like the idea that Essendon (Hird and the annoying supporters in particular) will now be forced to suffer all over again, as it sounds like it will be quite a few months before anything is resolved.

It's exactly what they deserve. Hird expecting the football world to believe that his club would just hand over the one and only copy of a spreadsheet (that could supposedly prove their innocence) to the very people that were going to try and "ruin them", is just staggering.

 

[popin]

So james wasted about $750 thousand to $1 million in legal bills last time, How much will it cost this time??

 

[Dynamics]

His performance on 360 was as unpleasant as expected.

The only people I feel for in this are the families of the players and all the supporters that haven't swallowed Hird's crap (there are one or two, honestly!), who now have to go through all this again.

 

[DAWESOME!!]

That whole proposition is just ridiculous. Is Hird suggesting seriously that there was one hand written spreadsheet that got handed over and that was it??

It defies any credibility at all.

The "spreadsheet" would have been on computer hard drive surely? There would be copies etc.

I think Hird is a narcissistic tossbag.

 

[DAWESOME!!]

Really hope this doesn't drag out for months and months, just deal with it so the footy world can move on!!

I just hope CAS kick Essendon and the AFL as hard in the nuts as possible. That includes the player suspensions coming at the most inconvenient time for the AFL so it completely undoes their efforts to stage manage this without hurting their previous TV rights.

Suspensions mid season so the Peptides have no time to recruit and meld together replacements into a team.

 

[BringouttheGimp]

So james wasted about $750 thousand to $1 million in legal bills last time, How much will it cost this time??

5 bucks i reckon

 

[Black_White]

I have to admit that I don't want to see the players found guilty no matter what. What I would like to see is that scumbag Hird banned from participation in any sport for life.

Sorry, but the players are as culpable as anyone at the club.
They know the rules and chose to sign away their rights to a defence when they agreed to the waiver.
No professional sportsman/woman is unaware of the rules relating to knowing exactly everything that they ingest or are injected with.
Very few of the Essendon players objected. Only these players are above reproach.
We have two players who did not respect the rules about knowing what they ingested. They will never play our game at this level again.
Where is the sympathy from the press or the wider AFL community? It simply doesn't exist and nor should it exist for players willing to "do whatever it takes" to gain an advantage.
I personally hope that WADA can bring down maximum penalties for the players and staff/officials at this dog of a club. They rolled the dice and should pay the price.
This whole saga has hurt our international sporting status. Australia has always been at the forefront in the world sporting arena when it comes to doping cases. We have always been loud about how sport should be played.
In fact we still bemoan Raylene Boyles silver medal to a later admitted drug cheat. We like to tell the world how it should be, but when it comes to our own, well the last couple of years should tell you all you need to know about our hypocrisy.
Make it right please WADA.

 

[Atavistic]

Saw this on the HTB, thought it quite funny.

Tania approved, LMFAO.

 

[eddiebankbalance]

Tania approved, LMFAO.

something + something = something

I need more information please.

 

[golazo]

So james wasted about $750 thousand to $1 million in legal bills last time, How much will it cost this time??

Just some carpet burn on his knees and anal fissures

 

[vjknight]

Sorry, but the players are as culpable as anyone at the club.
They know the rules and chose to sign away their rights to a defence when they agreed to the waiver.
No professional sportsman/woman is unaware of the rules relating to knowing exactly everything that they ingest or are injected with.
Very few of the Essendon players objected. Only these players are above reproach.
We have two players who did not respect the rules about knowing what they ingested. They will never play our game at this level again.
Where is the sympathy from the press or the wider AFL community? It simply doesn't exist and nor should it exist for players willing to "do whatever it takes" to gain an advantage.
I personally hope that WADA can bring down maximum penalties for the players and staff/officials at this dog of a club. They rolled the dice and should pay the price.
This whole saga has hurt our international sporting status. Australia has always been at the forefront in the world sporting arena when it comes to doping cases. We have always been loud about how sport should be played.
In fact we still bemoan Raylene Boyles silver medal to a later admitted drug cheat. We like to tell the world how it should be, but when it comes to our own, well the last couple of years should tell you all you need to know about our hypocrisy.
Make it right please WADA.

injected not ingested

 

[PieNSauce]

For Hird to be held to account the players will have to be banned for 2 years. Honestly WADA should be going for the maximum for everyone involved for compounding their stupidity throughout the investigation and farcical tribunal hearing.

I can't see Essendon getting out of this, the tribunal finding Dank guilty of trafficking and attempted trafficking of several banned substances put the final nail in their coffin, they just didn't know it (how they couldn't see that I have no idea). It conclusively exposed the Tribunal as being a biased farce. Even if the tribunal had used their brain and found them guilty and given them all 6 months WADA would be all over this because the club and the AFL seems to think they are bigger and can do what they want after signing up to the code.

They are not bigger and they can't do what they want, WADA owns them and the federal govt. directly and or indirectly will ensure they do what they're told. In the end WADA has the power to cease international competition for all our major sports.

I don't disagree that WADA rules would dictate that if anyone is found guilty then the players would have to also be found guilty but it doesn't mean that I necessarily want that to happen. It's easy to suggest that the players should have satisfied themselves of what they were being given but the other side of the coin suggests that they ought to be able to rely on the due diligence of the club. If they can't do that then it seems a bit unfair to me. Ultimately it is the club and its officers who ought to be paying the biggest price if it can be shown that they engaged in a program of illegal doping. Say whatever you like about the players but at this stage I am not convinced that they are anything but victims in this whole saga.

 

[Helfarch]

I don't disagree that WADA rules would dictate that if anyone is found guilty then the players would have to also be found guilty but it doesn't mean that I necessarily want that to happen. It's easy to suggest that the players should have satisfied themselves of what they were being given but the other side of the coin suggests that they ought to be able to rely on the due diligence of the club. If they can't do that then it seems a bit unfair to me. Ultimately it is the club and its officers who ought to be paying the biggest price if it can be shown that they engaged in a program of illegal doping. Say whatever you like about the players but at this stage I am not convinced that they are anything but victims in this whole saga.

"Oh hey Bruce, know anything about these injections?"
"No"
"I see"

I believe what we're dealing with is willful ignorance for the most part, then unmitigated stupidity. If the players had all come out and said "Yes we should have known better, we were deceived and misled and will not play under this administration" and taken the 6 months it would all be over. The AFL would have had little choice but to give the real culprits life bans.

Instead...

 

[golazo]

Wonder if they'll lose more of their good players that don't want to be part of the circus anymore..

 

[PieNSauce]

"Oh hey Bruce, know anything about these injections?"
"No"
"I see"

I believe what we're dealing with is willful ignorance for the most part, then unmitigated stupidity. If the players had all come out and said "Yes we should have known better, we were deceived and misled and will not play under this administration" and taken the 6 months it would all be over. The AFL would have had little choice but to give the real culprits life bans.

Instead...

I think that's an interesting take and you're entitled to your opinion of course but I see it differently. Of course we are both only speculating but I find it hard to believe that a player who believes that he is the one who has been wronged would willingly take a 6 month suspension if there is the remotest chance that he may be exonerated. That said, I certainly would expect that if the players do wind up taking extended bans as a result of what went on they will seek legal recourse if they believe that they were deceived.

 

[DAWESOME!!]

I think that's an interesting take and you're entitled to your opinion of course but I see it differently. Of course we are both only speculating but I find it hard to believe that a player who believes that he is the one who has been wronged would willingly take a 6 month suspension if there is the remotest chance that he may be exonerated. That said, I certainly would expect that if the players do wind up taking extended bans as a result of what went on they will seek legal recourse if they believe that they were deceived.

That's a fair point, but probably the bigger part of it beyond them "really believing in their heart of hearts that they've done nothing wrong", to quote Tin Watson, Hird etc, is the group ethos and dynamic.

AFL clubs smash into their players that it's team first, one for all, etc. Players who go outside of that are belittled and excluded. They're also coddled as precious snowflakes to be protected from consequences from the non-football related actions. It's the kind of mentality that has bred some of the cases of group sex offending by sport team mates in the past. Or groups of corrupt cops

In that culture, being the first to break from the group and say "we did wrong" is a really hard thing to do. Especially when your coaches and leaders are saying "if we stick together we'll beat this" and giving you a mental "out" by saying "this is all crap, they've got nothing boys".

Much easier to believe the reassurances and keep doing what you've been taught to do and conform with the group than step out on your own and honestly reflect on whether you deserve some punishment.

Apart from anything else, look how guys like Kyle Reimers, who after being tossed by the group did break his silence, we're treated.

 

[DoubleDraw7710]

If all the players had injections I would be more inclined to be lenient and blame the club. Some players however refused the injections, so there was a choice. This make those players who received injections deserving of suspension if found by WADA to have taken banned substances. They're all taught if you don't know what something is don't take it.