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Essendon = Entitlement
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I assume the AFL cheer squad is claiming that everyone was doing it and therefore Essendon were hard done by, we've seen this argument before.
If all the other clubs were doing it, where is the evidence?
In any case, you could also argue that lots of clubs have pokies, so why shouldn't we?
Claiming others are doing wrong, even worse, claiming others are also doing wrong without any evidence, has always been a weak argument . . . I suppose if that's all you've got.
The AFL warned them, they warned Essendon because they had a heads up that ASADA already knew about the drugs and were ready to pounce. Classic PR strategy, confess before you get caught. Not saying it is the wrong strategy, but the subsequent "losing" of the evidence is where we really saw the nature of the AFL and of the Essendon Football Club.
DS
I once said Essendon of Today is us from 1983 to 1993.
But they seem like they have a longer way to go before they are out of this
But they seem like they have a longer way to go before they are out of this
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My cousin is a happy postie that rides one of those.
She wasn't too happy when some nong T Boned her. Fortunately she only suffered bruises. She's ok now and back in the saddle.
Dangerous job being a postie.
Just in case anyone else has a selective memory and doesn't recall the other 15 times this has been posted, here is the evidence:
https://www.afl.com.au/news/452645/players-sourcing-supplements-outside-of-club-afl-survey
(By the way check the time and date the article was released)
If you do the maths there you will find that between 11 and 17 clubs outside of Essendon either had players running around obtaining and taking supplements without supervision, or were running club programs where they were taking lots of supplements and had significant governance issues with their programs, which were being run by unqualified people.
Sound familiar? It should because it is essentially the Essendon model. I wonder how many of them were 'encouraged' to self report?
Let me pose a hypothetical question around this scenario. Tomorrow Richmond and the AFL hold a press conference saying we are self reporting that we may have had issues with the salary cap last season.
As the season goes on, an investigation finds we were probably over the salary cap, there's no absolute proof but the circumstantial evidence is pretty strong. The AFL had a feeling we were, and encouraged us to come forward and self report.
It turns out we have a rogue accountant on the staff, who isn't actually a qualified accountant, who has lied about his qualifications and run a program it turns out he had no business running, but no-one senior took the time to check his work.
Players know they received money but don't know exactly how much or what it was for and the accountant failed to keep the records asked of him. He was meeting them away from the club and issuing payments, which the players were told were part of the salary cap.
Following the investigation we are removed from the finals series, banned from the draft and many of our senior personnel including the coach are banned for 12 months.
The players go to a tribunal and are cleared but at a second hearing are banned for 12 months.
Our club is decimated and recovery will take many years.
All good so far, you can argue about it but something stinks so we probably copped our fair whack.
But here's the kicker. Two months after our litany of penalties are announced the AFL issues a press release on a Saturday night at 7pm.
It states the AFL has conducted a salary cap survey of all other clubs in light of our issues. It turns out 11 of the other clubs were also handing out lots of cash and don't have great records about that either. There also doesn't seem to be anyone in charge at those clubs either. And the people in charge of handing out cash at those clubs are also not qualified accountants.
On top of that players at 9 clubs (maybe the same as the 11, maybe not) have been receiving cash themselves, outside the club. We don't know where it came from, how much or why.
Not to worry says the AFL, this is an opportunity to make sure all our cash is handled correctly going forward. We are putting in place measures to make sure this stuff never happens again.
Now my hypothetical question is this; how do you reckon that press release would go down on this forum? I'm going to suggest there would be outrage on a level that would make the stand rule look like the most favourite rule change in the history of this forum.
The great irony here of course is when I shoot down unsubstantiated rubbish about the AFL I'm shot down as a cheer leader or an AFL sycophant.
Yet when I present a pure, unadulterated AFL cover-up, arguable the most damaging to the credibility of the sport in it's history, no-one wants to know, because they would rather bag Essendon and don't like the notion that Richmond might be implicated.
https://www.afl.com.au/news/452645/players-sourcing-supplements-outside-of-club-afl-survey
(By the way check the time and date the article was released)
If you do the maths there you will find that between 11 and 17 clubs outside of Essendon either had players running around obtaining and taking supplements without supervision, or were running club programs where they were taking lots of supplements and had significant governance issues with their programs, which were being run by unqualified people.
Sound familiar? It should because it is essentially the Essendon model. I wonder how many of them were 'encouraged' to self report?
Let me pose a hypothetical question around this scenario. Tomorrow Richmond and the AFL hold a press conference saying we are self reporting that we may have had issues with the salary cap last season.
As the season goes on, an investigation finds we were probably over the salary cap, there's no absolute proof but the circumstantial evidence is pretty strong. The AFL had a feeling we were, and encouraged us to come forward and self report.
It turns out we have a rogue accountant on the staff, who isn't actually a qualified accountant, who has lied about his qualifications and run a program it turns out he had no business running, but no-one senior took the time to check his work.
Players know they received money but don't know exactly how much or what it was for and the accountant failed to keep the records asked of him. He was meeting them away from the club and issuing payments, which the players were told were part of the salary cap.
Following the investigation we are removed from the finals series, banned from the draft and many of our senior personnel including the coach are banned for 12 months.
The players go to a tribunal and are cleared but at a second hearing are banned for 12 months.
Our club is decimated and recovery will take many years.
All good so far, you can argue about it but something stinks so we probably copped our fair whack.
But here's the kicker. Two months after our litany of penalties are announced the AFL issues a press release on a Saturday night at 7pm.
It states the AFL has conducted a salary cap survey of all other clubs in light of our issues. It turns out 11 of the other clubs were also handing out lots of cash and don't have great records about that either. There also doesn't seem to be anyone in charge at those clubs either. And the people in charge of handing out cash at those clubs are also not qualified accountants.
On top of that players at 9 clubs (maybe the same as the 11, maybe not) have been receiving cash themselves, outside the club. We don't know where it came from, how much or why.
Not to worry says the AFL, this is an opportunity to make sure all our cash is handled correctly going forward. We are putting in place measures to make sure this stuff never happens again.
Now my hypothetical question is this; how do you reckon that press release would go down on this forum? I'm going to suggest there would be outrage on a level that would make the stand rule look like the most favourite rule change in the history of this forum.
The great irony here of course is when I shoot down unsubstantiated rubbish about the AFL I'm shot down as a cheer leader or an AFL sycophant.
Yet when I present a pure, unadulterated AFL cover-up, arguable the most damaging to the credibility of the sport in it's history, no-one wants to know, because they would rather bag Essendon and don't like the notion that Richmond might be implicated.
Is this Bummer saga finished yet?
my recollection is a bit hazy but I got the feeling AD tipped them off (if he did, and it seems likely) because the story was going to break from ASADA anyway, so in that sense it was different to other clubs that might have been more under the radar.
OK, but get some posters in this thread to spray some air freshener at times, as it stinks in here.
It’s smee again! Like your scenario. However. The linked article is vague as hell and says that some players have sourced supplements independently.
Firstly. Let’s not confuse supplements with banned PED’s. Mark Robinson and others continue to refer to it as the supplements saga when it has been proven to be the drugs saga. And is referred to that by other reporters.
No individual at Essendon went off and did their own thing. Under the auspices of the Club they were administered a program that was “tailored” to the individual. Supposedly. Except for Zaharakis cos he didn’t like needles.
(A) the Club doctor was deliberately removed from the process as he was interfering
(B) Thymomodulin is administered in tablet form. Thymosine Beta 4 is injected. The players were injected. Sometimes painfully.
(C) Dank was happy enough to say that the the players received Thymosin until the reporter told him on his front porch, “that you do realise Thymosin is a banned substance”. Dank….”I did not know that”….. some days later he changed his tune, said he was misquoted and always meant Thymomodulin. Yeah. Nah.
(D) txts between Hird and Dank were clear that they were trialling stuff that could become a business enterprise for them going forward. Hird was happy enough for the players to be the Guinea pigs.
(E) $60k was spent on Hexeralin, another banned substance. I don’t know about you but most places I know that spend $60k for something genuinely want it and can show it. Look there! Our brand new $60k photocopier! it’s the bestest!!! But not at Essendon….duuuuhhh….dunno where that went, but not into the players. no Sirree Bob!!
In my view. And this is my opinion, which will be different to yours. The only honest thing Hird said was at the first presser when he said “I am shocked to be sitting here”….
Shocked to be caught? Shocked the AFL said “you’re on your own here you blokes but we did tip you off so it won’t be all bad?”
At the end of the day, fortunately, as it was taken from the AFL, Essendon received punishment which they could have significantly lessened if they had rolled over. But they didn’t. Because “they are Essendon” and “whatever it takes” was their motto.
At this point your honour, (as I have gone on long enough over time) I rest my case.
I'm going to give myself an uppercut for continuing to click onto this thread.
It's as if I had the intelligence to create a time machine yet chose to revisit the Essington drugs saga, again, and again, and again like some sort of sick joke that I've chosen to play on myself.
I'll see myself out.
It's as if I had the intelligence to create a time machine yet chose to revisit the Essington drugs saga, again, and again, and again like some sort of sick joke that I've chosen to play on myself.
I'll see myself out.
We won’t have to worry about them this year Craigslist. I’ve been watching their training and they’ve still got 1) a small team bereft of hard on ballers and KPP’s 2) fat laggards eg Stringer and 3) a mid tier coach.
They’ll win their pre season games and be pronounced as better than sliced bread again, but again, will miss the finals. Turmoil again.
It’ll be beautiful.
The article isn't vague at all.
It says this:
The supplements survey also found that 12 clubs conducted programs with medium or high levels of supplement use and lacked "a single point of accountability".
And there was also an inappropriate definition of supplements and the selection process of support personnel was flawed.
It's important to note Essendon is the 12th club there, so you have 11 clubs who have notified the AFL that they were taking similar levels of supplements as Essendon. How many times have I heard the argument made that the players should have realised something was up when they started taking so many injections?
It gets better though, a lack of accountability, inappropriate definition of supplements and flawed selection of support personnel.
Those four points are a near perfect summary of what happened at Essendon! No investigation required however.
And that's before we even get to the players from 9 clubs who were sourcing their own stuff. How many players? What were they taking? Where was it sourced from? It's not like any athlete has even gotten on the wrong side of the code by sourcing their own stuff.
The whole thing is a farce and quite frankly a disgrace.
There was a Federal Police element to it I believe. They were bugging that Shane Charter dude I believe, for illegally importing PEDS and other stuff. Feds tipped off ASADA that Danks was sourcing PEDS from Charter and that kicked off the ASADA investigation into Danks and Essendon.
When Demestor caught wind/was informed by ASADA, he called them to self-declare because, and here I am guessing, the punishment wouldn't be as severe.
Then you can continue with the AFL and Government convincing ASADA to go easy on Essendon, which they did, which is when WADA stepped in and got involved.
Sharks self-declared, said sorry, admitted their wrong doing and won a Premiership a couple of years later.
Essendon fought tooth and nail all the way, destroyed evidence and declared themselves victims of a witch-hunt as they fought this all the way to Switzerland and lost.
The Pres at the time was gearing up to do a Cronulla with some heavy negotiating behind the scenes with AFL, ASADA and State & Fed governments. It was pretty much agreed but then the precious Essendon Elites couldn't fathom admitting they did anything wrong so Little took control as President and led the march to Switzerland.
Me thinks what happened to Essendon and the people involved can only be attributable to Essendon.
Will you have screen rights?
What comes first, the explosive novel or the film or to maintain viewer numbers, an obsession of the AFL, you should propose a mini series.
Just thinking out aloud.
It’s all hypothetical but you never never know.
Pass the …. From the left hand side
Now repeat again
Oops, here comes anti AFL Publicity Department aka the late Keith Dunstan formerly of A Place In The Sun - APITS.
Take me back country road.
Now, there’s a job for life!
Still disagree. The article did not say that the supplements taken at other clubs were in fact PED’s. It said there was inappropriate identification. Hell, it is possible that there was something illicit in some/none or all of those instances. Essendon’s were identified. Thymosin beta 4 and Hexaralin.The article isn't vague at all.
It says this:
The supplements survey also found that 12 clubs conducted programs with medium or high levels of supplement use and lacked "a single point of accountability".
And there was also an inappropriate definition of supplements and the selection process of support personnel was flawed.
It's important to note Essendon is the 12th club there, so you have 11 clubs who have notified the AFL that they were taking similar levels of supplements as Essendon. How many times have I heard the argument made that the players should have realised something was up when they started taking so many injections?
It gets better though, a lack of accountability, inappropriate definition of supplements and flawed selection of support personnel.
Those four points are a near perfect summary of what happened at Essendon! No investigation required however.
And that's before we even get to the players from 9 clubs who were sourcing their own stuff. How many players? What were they taking? Where was it sourced from? It's not like any athlete has even gotten on the wrong side of the code by sourcing their own stuff.
The whole thing is a farce and quite frankly a disgrace.
Now thats the kind of pre season training reports we need to see more of Red Sox
