Australian Crime Commission investigation finds widespread doping

[M Sport]

I was only a matter of time before cycling was implicated, name to come out tomorrow morning.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/essendon-bombers/bombers-scientists-bypassed-rules-20130220-2eqp9.html

Essendon's sports science team allegedly bypassed the club's AFL-accredited medical staff and used at least one external doctor to assist in a supplements program at the centre of an anti-doping inquiry.
Fairfax Media can also reveal the doping affair has spread, with an official involved with a Australian professional road cycling team linked to performance enhancing hormone peptides.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I was only a matter of time before cycling was implicated, name to come out tomorrow morning.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/essendon-bombers/bombers-scientists-bypassed-rules-20130220-2eqp9.html

Good. Bring it on.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Not Neil Stephens is it?

 

[rgmerk]

Not Neil Stephens is it?

I don't think Stephens lives in Melbourne (when not in Europe, of course). Not that that completely rules him out (Dank had connections with Sydney-based rugby league teams as well), but it makes it somewhat less likely. Ditto Matt White.

I guess we'll find out soon enough.

 

[Ferminal]

Stephens is hardly in Australia. Bannan would be most likely on GreenEdge but think it will be someone from Drapac/Budget/Genesys.

 

[rgmerk]

Stephens is hardly in Australia. Bannan would be most likely on GreenEdge but think it will be someone from Drapac/Budget/Genesys.

Doesn't even need to be at that level. Could be somebody from one of the lower-level non-UCI teams in the NRS - "professional" tends to be thrown around fairly loosely in Australian cycling sometimes.

 

[Cyivel]

Given that there has been talk of cricket in here thought it was worth mentioning, off the back of the Tom Maynard story just heard Iain O'Brien say that during his whole career both domestic and international, which included playing 30+ times for New Zealand he was tested just once, whilst playing for Middlesex.

 

[Ferminal]

This is hilarious... apparently PEDs are now known as "supplements" and if you happened to take them you were an innocent victim of a "tainted supplements" regime.

 

[Ferminal]

Wow, this whole situation stinks. I do not know why they had to go public (I assume Dank has probably talked to ASADA?) as they are trying very hard to cover it up.

- Former ASADA executive is hired to review activities at the club in the first half of 2011

- Key "management failures" were identified in that period which has resulted in several staff being sacked.

- Yet when asked about the "management failures" it is a complete stonewall. She refuses to comment on any illicit practices which did/didn't take place as that is the job of the statutory authorities. She says the club's interests are ensuring the innocence of the players is protected.

- The club has hired former top ASADA lawyer to represent the players.

- Any player who admits (to what?) will be stood down with pay for 6 months (what do ASADA think of this?).

 

[Galic Ho]

Wow, this whole situation stinks. I do not know why they had to go public (I assume Dank has probably talked to ASADA?) as they are trying very hard to cover it up.

- Former ASADA executive is hired to review activities at the club in the first half of 2011

- Key "management failures" were identified in that period which has resulted in several staff being sacked.

- Yet when asked about the "management failures" it is a complete stonewall. She refuses to comment on any illicit practices which did/didn't take place as that is the job of the statutory authorities. She says the club's interests are ensuring the innocence of the players is protected.

- The club has hired former top ASADA lawyer to represent the players.

- Any player who admits (to what?) will be stood down with pay for 6 months (what do ASADA think of this?).

This whole fiasco is a joke. A really bad joke. I think someone wants to buy the Sharks for cheap change and this is a nice way to devalue their already debt ridden carcass furthermore.

Talking about banning people for taking a substance in 2011 that wasn't banned by the league. Pathetic. What ASADA and the Sharks board pulled of is beyond my comprehension. They removed all the coaching and support staff. Fired or laid off. Terminology doesn't matter. On what?

I can imagine what they'd have done had they had jurisdiction over team Sky during all their lay-offs last year. Everyone would have gone. And to think this is all around one sports scientist...just one guy and his 3 months tenure at the club. Names Dank I believe. Joke. Absolute joke. If only cycling were so thorough.

 

[blackcat]

This whole fiasco is a joke. A really bad joke. I think someone wants to buy the Sharks for cheap change and this is a nice way to devalue their already debt ridden carcass furthermore.

Talking about banning people for taking a substance in 2011 that wasn't banned by the league. Pathetic. What ASADA and the Sharks board pulled of is beyond my comprehension. They removed all the coaching and support staff. Fired or laid off. Terminology doesn't matter. On what?

I can imagine what they'd have done had they had jurisdiction over team Sky during all their lay-offs last year. Everyone would have gone. And to think this is all around one sports scientist...just one guy and his 3 months tenure at the club. Names Dank I believe. Joke. Absolute joke. If only cycling were so thorough.

Galic you should know that it will not be one club, one player, but all, across both codes of rugby, then see the southern state code, australian rules. read professor charles yesalis, professor julian savulescu. it is naive beyond ignorance, to believe that this will be one team, or a few teams, or renegades, or cheats.

this is sport as entertainment.

this is not orange wedges at quarter time soccer mom sport innit

this is business.

the W matters, nothing else.

charles yesalis. read him. any sociologist polymath worth their salt, will assert this is normalised behavior and the few exceptions, emphasis few, are ones that will not take anything, or a jab for cortisone or other "vitamins".

you are smarter than thinking this is about cheats and cheating. the only thing that would restrict port adelaides doping and sports science budget is their financial viability.

cycling, and cycling teams have learnt about plausible deniabilty. and degrees of separation. afl and rugby codes thought there was a culture of impunity and acted with due hubris.

 

[Galic Ho]

Galic you should know that it will not be one club, one player, but all, across both codes of rugby, then see the southern state code, australian rules. read professor charles yesalis, professor julian savulescu. it is naive beyond ignorance, to believe that this will be one team, or a few teams, or renegades, or cheats.

this is sport as entertainment.

this is not orange wedges at quarter time soccer mom sport innit

this is business.

the W matters, nothing else.

charles yesalis. read him. any sociologist polymath worth their salt, will assert this is normalised behavior and the few exceptions, emphasis few, are ones that will not take anything, or a jab for cortisone or other "vitamins".

you are smarter than thinking this is about cheats and cheating. the only thing that would restrict port adelaides doping and sports science budget is their financial viability.

cycling, and cycling teams have learnt about plausible deniabilty. and degrees of separation. afl and rugby codes thought there was a culture of impunity and acted with due hubris.

Oh I agree. I most certainly believe what you just wrote. But they are the bottom rung on the ladder. There is no talk about going after the big money teams. The guys like the Storm and Broncos who are owned by Murdoch media affiliates. Or the Knights and their mining billionaire.

What I want to know is who talked enough to get an investigation? The who, the when and the why? Because it should be looking at everyone. But it won't.

I also take issue that basically a no confidence vote occurred within the Sharks boardroom and all the supporters and hangers on who would be the enablers, they were kicked to the curb. That's unheard of. Cycling has had numerous chances to do the same and far more drug talk and nothing has really every happened. I'm not saying it's wrong or unwarranted but given the scope of considering doping in all sports, this is really severe. Worse, we really don't have anything to go on. At least with cycling we can name people and their connections. With this what do we have?

Think about it this way. If Geert Leinders had worked for Greenedge instead of Sky, given what Rasmussen said about him, would ASADA step in recommend removal of the DS? I think not. This seems to be more about symbolism rather than fixing the grand picture. It's as you implied...about the $$$. The big $$$ clubs have more connections, more liquid finances to throw around quickly. Easier for them to grease palms and pockets. I just don't see the point in messing with one team and not the rest. To me it's like picking on Ricco but letting Froome go clear. Both are obvious, but only one gets bullied.

 

[Tinman]

Phil Gould and Benji Marshall's comments in the on line SMH all telling. Almost tedious to see the cycling story starting to be played out in NRL. Deja Vue big time. Sadly therefore we can now also expect pressure from above on ASADA a la Tygart.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I guess this Government will be known for doing something productive with the ACC doping investigation...oh wait! All their 'investigations' have resulted in sports and players being tainted with no or little evidence against them.

 

[thehog]

Phil Gould and Benji Marshall's comments in the on line SMH all telling. Almost tedious to see the cycling story starting to be played out in NRL. Deja Vue big time. Sadly therefore we can now also expect pressure from above on ASADA a la Tygart.

What about Phil Smyth for the Aussie Bombers in the 90's?

Deadset doping program. Systematic.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

What about Phil Smyth for the Aussie Bombers in the 90's?

Deadset doping program. Systematic.

Anti-HGH? Pretty sure his head has shrunk over the years, not grown.

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

Anti-HGH? Pretty sure his head has shrunk over the years, not grown.

That guy would NEVER make the lantern-jaw thread...

 

[monkey]

I guess this Government will be known for doing something productive with the ACC doping investigation...oh wait! All their 'investigations' have resulted in sports and players being tainted with no or little evidence against them.

ACF94 you are Naive to think that an investigative body of any nature, let alone the ACC would detail any of their investigations in a public domain. I think over time a lot more will come out, particularly disturbing is the links between sporting teams and criminal enteprises. If no-one or no team gets sanctions then feel free to tell me you told me so, but I think you will find as the investigative process rolls on, heads will roll. Do you really think the ACC is going to disclose what evidence they have when the investigation is ongoing, sure fire way to ruin any further progress.

 

[Cookster15]

ACF94 you are Naive to think that an investigative body of any nature, let alone the ACC would detail any of their investigations in a public domain. I think over time a lot more will come out, particularly disturbing is the links between sporting teams and criminal enteprises. If no-one or no team gets sanctions then feel free to tell me you told me so, but I think you will find as the investigative process rolls on, heads will roll. Do you really think the ACC is going to disclose what evidence they have when the investigation is ongoing, sure fire way to ruin any further progress.

Sure, but why did they conduct a press conference nearly 1 month ago to tarnish vitually every professional sportperson in Australia BEFORE the investigation was complete or at least nearly complete ? The legalities or lack of proper process brushes both ways.

 

[monkey]

Think you'll find the horse had bolted, with asada conducting it's own questioning and testing, whispers became shouts and rather than let it go un-checked, they announced an investigation. To say they tarnished nearly every professional australian sportsperson is perhaps off the mark, they said they uncovered widespread use without going into specifics, far from tarnishing almost every australian sportsperson.....

 

[peterst6906]

Sure, but why did they conduct a press conference nearly 1 month ago to tarnish vitually every professional sportperson in Australia BEFORE the investigation was complete or at least nearly complete ? The legalities or lack of proper process brushes both ways.

Couple of points that may be relevant:

1. It was never ASADA or ACC intention to include politicians in the press conference. That decision came very late in the process and the Ministers took front and centre. In an election year, the sensationalism was more about grandstanding than anything else

2. During an investigation there are many reasons to make it known, particularly in terms of using the situation as a way to further advance the investigation

So, I think it was never the intention of the ACC or ASADA to tarnish everyone. The responsibility for that rests with Lundy and Clare.

 

[Cookster15]

So, I think it was never the intention of the ACC or ASADA to tarnish everyone. The responsibility for that rests with Lundy and Clare.

Thanks. Yes I was alluding to the possibility of political motives.

 

[blackcat]

Oh I agree. I most certainly believe what you just wrote. But they are the bottom rung on the ladder. There is no talk about going after the big money teams. The guys like the Storm and Broncos who are owned by Murdoch media affiliates. Or the Knights and their mining billionaire.

quoted for clarity.

rubes fell for the Bombers falling on their sword talking point.

they did nothing of the sort. they saw the writing on the wall, heard about the NCC investigation, and decided to lead the story and define the narrative. and inasmuch as it could be possible, (ie, sill not much) it did indeed ameliorate damage and they will come out looking better.

and they are a power team. like you asserted.

power teams FTW!

imaging if Maxwell or Harry O or Swannie came back with testo or hgh levels beyond the allowable threshold ratio?

Ian, Ian, Ian.... Ian Thorpe... anyone. try busting Collingwood or Thorpe.

NOT


POSS

ABLE (sic)

 

[blackcat]

Anti-HGH? Pretty sure his head has shrunk over the years, not grown.

Kareem Abdul Jabaar head. pinhead.

its why I advocate Nick Reiwoldt keep on taking his hgh, because he becomes a more atttractive man.

props for the haircut.

we never see that haircut in sport anymore. more shane warne and advanced hair white trash bogans.

 

[blackcat]

only commitment to truth option

withdraw

from


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