Is anybody else bothered by the AFL now cashing in on and glorifying the returning Dons?

[Adelaide Hawk]

Should everybody be angry and hate them forever? Is that the moral thing to do because of the drugs saga?

Go and get stuffed. They've taken their punishment and I welcome them back and am glad the media do too.

They've been on their knees ffs...

Yeah .... punished with a number 1 draft pick.

 

[Doss]

Yeah, it's not like we lost any draft picks in 2013 or 2014. No sirree.

 

[Muggs]

Now see that I do not understand, wtf is backdating? They were playing so they were not suspended. It is just a cop out for a shorter penalty.

Backdating is when the under resourced prosecutor takes their sweet *#$#*&* time prosecuting due to getting their hands tied when the government sends someone in to review the evidence, and the decision maker changing at the end of the investigation phase so not involved (i.e has no idea what went on) and has to get up to speed to make a decision.

 

[SBYM]

 

[gavaniacono]

Sometimes I think people just twiddle their thumbs and sit around and look for reasons to be angry.

The Antidote is here!

 

[gavaniacono]

Backdating is when the under resourced prosecutor takes their sweet *#$#*&* time prosecuting due to getting their hands tied when the government sends someone in to review the evidence, and the decision maker changing at the end of the investigation phase so not involved (i.e has no idea what went on) and has to get up to speed to make a decision.

Muggs! You swore!

 

[Muggs]

Muggs! You swore!

Yup and two mods liked my comment

Got away with it....

 

[deltablues]

I reckon we all need to move on, they were found of some breach which still I am not sure what it is and they have served a year suspension. The club was fined 2 million dollars or something like that.
They are a big Melbourne club and the AFL love looking after their melbourne clubs.
The AFL state they are there for revenue more than anything and Essendon help them achieve this. What is the big deal? What on earth do you want the AFL to do?
When in your mind is it finished for them so they can move forward?
Can't be healthy worrying about this sort of stuff daily.

You have totally missed the point here. It has nothing to do with Essendon per se. The vibes from the old boys' jocks' club have the same moral equivalence as the cheap glitter of a Mafia funeral.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

What did you expect? Red rose petals?

do you net even comprehend the irony of you responding to me like this is a thread complaining about the perceived positive treatment of the EFC players?

I mean, lol

 

[armpit]

do you net even comprehend the irony of you responding to me like this is a thread complaining about the perceived positive treatment of the EFC players?

I mean, lol

I do, I do. It was sweet.

 

[CharacterFirst]

Ps 37:1-2.

 

[Crankyhawk]

Sometimes I think people just twiddle their thumbs and sit around and look for reasons to be angry.

They should visit the SRP board, plenty of outlets there to get angry...

 

[branedotorg]

this would all be over if:

-the afl media called it what it WAS a sanctioned drug program
-the players apologised, even if the can't / won't admit guilt


i think that would give the whole thing a natural end. the whole still in denial/boys club/heroes thing rankles a lot of people.

 

[pablo668]

It is what it is, the boys club and all the friends in high places were always going to at least try to make it go away or minimise the damage to the Bombers and the AFL brand by extension.
My memory is hazy, but I remember some Dons people saying that they were too important to the AFL, too much of a cash cow, too big to fail/fold.

Turns out the were right.

This would have ended a smaller less well connected club, in its current form at least.

 

[Randomizor]

Who cares? Wooden spoon this year, 15th in 2015. Bottom 6 hopefuls at best. Watson couldn't captain an under 9's team. The prime time slots are really just setting them up for further embarrassment.

 

[VL3OJ]

I am bothered but saw this coming a long way off. What worries me is the lack of deterrent if you are caught doing this as a member of the football department. Why any of this department are allowed at a football game, let alone earning an income is frankly a telling piece of evidence of how the AFL sees it being an entertainment company rather than a real sporting authority.

 

[floki]

Drug cheats are drug cheats they are never absolved of their sins, burn them, burn them all.

 

[WestCoast05]

They certainly are not going to now so whats the point of going on about it.

Why are you on Big Footy?

It's a forum to go on about things.

 

[Samsquanch]

this would all be over if:

-the afl media called it what it WAS a sanctioned drug program

LOL. As if they will bite the hand that feeds. Tame lap dogs. Even those who have touched the topic in recent times and who have been prepared to accept the CAS outcome still talk like the club and players have been harshly punished as there is still some "doubt".

The players may have done their time, and they are legitimately back in the game, their reputations are their problem and their legacy. They can be forgiven, but there is no reason for what they did to be forgotten. They should not be celebrated on their return from suspension.

 

[DapperDong]

this would all be over if:

-the afl media called it what it WAS a sanctioned drug program
-the players apologised, even if the can't / won't admit guilt


i think that would give the whole thing a natural end. the whole still in denial/boys club/heroes thing rankles a lot of people.

The reality is these are both little more than people still looking for reasons to be angry.

It's done, they've served their penalty. Who gives a shit what some two bob idiot in the media calls it? Why is it worth gnashing teeth about? It really isn't. You can call it what you want in your head, but please don't make out it's an issue that's actually important.

As for apologising, to my reading the players still clearly believe they were, if not blameless completely, incredibly let down by the people at Essendon at the time. That tends to be my view as well, I've never really bought the level of blame that CAS attributed to the players, but I did accept that as they'd almost certainly taken prohibited substances, they did need to be penalised. So no, I couldn't give a stuff if the players apologised. It's Dank and Robinson and Hird that need to/needed to.

LOL. As if they will bite the hand that feeds. Tame lap dogs. Even those who have touched the topic in recent times and who have been prepared to accept the CAS outcome still talk like the club and players have been harshly punished as there is still some "doubt".

Are you claiming they haven't been harshly punished? Being suspended for a year is not child's play, yet people here seem to think it is. It's rather extraordinary.

And I'd argue Essendon have been very well punished. Draft sanctions; fines; being removed from a finals series; players being suspended was also a quasi punishment to the club because it made them so uncompetitive in 2016, with the attendant loss in gate takings and memberships. And the biggest one of all; reputation. You can't put a dollar or time value on that one.

Do you really think anyone is going to look at what Essendon have copped since this story broke and think trying to emulate such a reckless programme would be worth it? If you do, you've lost the plot.

Out there in the real world, beyond the bounds of BigFooty, people don't really care anymore. It happened almost five years ago, and the story broke almost four years ago. The aforementioned penalties have come down, and been served/paid, and now people in the real world actually want to get on with being a supporter of their own teams.

This idea that a few people still getting their internet outrage on means the story is still going in earnest is false. It's not. Wake up.

 

[nicko99]

Who cares? Wooden spoon this year, 15th in 2015. Bottom 6 hopefuls at best. Watson couldn't captain an under 9's team. The prime time slots are really just setting them up for further embarrassment.

lol we will finish higher than freo. You had 1 more win than us last season. as well only playing a few top ups a game.

our first team midfield was virtually out for the whole year in 2015.

Since 2015 we've played a lot of young kids as well having high draft picks this year. with the a few decent players coming back its looking nothing but up, with the easiest draw in the year we only play one top 8 team twice.

 

[Hawk Dork]

People need to understand the AFL is a corporation that is there to make money.
Essendon is one of its popular brands,they are just selling their brand to make more money for the corporation.
There is no morality required, because the buyers of the product(us), arent upset enough to be turned off the corporation for being immoral.
There is no financial punishment to the AFL for being arses and plenty of potential revenue upside for being arses.
So they will be arses.
We are to blame for #standingbytheAFL

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

The reality is these are both little more than people still looking for reasons to be angry.

It's done, they've served their penalty. Who gives a shit what some two bob idiot in the media calls it? Why is it worth gnashing teeth about? It really isn't. You can call it what you want in your head, but please don't make out it's an issue that's actually important.

As for apologising, to my reading the players still clearly believe they were, if not blameless completely, incredibly let down by the people at Essendon at the time. That tends to be my view as well, I've never really bought the level of blame that CAS attributed to the players, but I did accept that as they'd almost certainly taken prohibited substances, they did need to be penalised. So no, I couldn't give a stuff if the players apologised. It's Dank and Robinson and Hird that need to/needed to.

Are you claiming they haven't been harshly punished? Being suspended for a year is not child's play, yet people here seem to think it is. It's rather extraordinary.

And I'd argue Essendon have been very well punished. Draft sanctions; fines; being removed from a finals series; players being suspended was also a quasi punishment to the club because it made them so uncompetitive in 2016, with the attendant loss in gate takings and memberships. And the biggest one of all; reputation. You can't put a dollar or time value on that one.

Do you really think anyone is going to look at what Essendon have copped since this story broke and think trying to emulate such a reckless programme would be worth it? If you do, you've lost the plot.

Out there in the real world, beyond the bounds of BigFooty, people don't really care anymore. It happened almost five years ago, and the story broke almost four years ago. The aforementioned penalties have come down, and been served/paid, and now people in the real world actually want to get on with being a supporter of their own teams.

This idea that a few people still getting their internet outrage on means the story is still going in earnest is false. It's not. Wake up.

That's quite naive.

If no one cared, why would the AFL be making such extreme efforts to keep telling us that there's nothing to see here and to distract everyone from the fact that 12 convicted drug cheats are about to return to the game?

 

[DapperDong]

That's quite naive.

If no one cared, why would the AFL be making such extreme efforts to keep telling us that there's nothing to see here and to distract everyone from the fact that 12 convicted drug cheats are about to return to the game?

You're one of the best examples of it.

This "AFL making such extreme efforts to keep telling us that there's nothing to see here" you refer to is noise in your head, because this drugs scandal is all you follow in terms of AFL football now. You see everything in football through its prism. Everything. You probably genuinely believe that McLachlan making his recent comments about the inevitability of a night grand final are to distract everyone from the still raging (which really isn't) inferno of the drugs saga. You probably think Ablett wanting to return to Geelong was engineered to distract from the still raging Essendon saga. It's all you ever think about football-wise.

And yet you make such simple errors, basic ones too. It's not even 12 returning, learn to count properly.

If you hate football and the AFL so much, go away and support another sport.

 

[Samsquanch]

Are you claiming they haven't been harshly punished?

I said the players have done their time (a 2 year suspension, discounted for process delays). That is a fair penalty. They were found guilty. They were. End of story.