An independent MP has used parliamentary privilege to make accusations of serious misconduct against the AFL and the Melbourne Demons football club.
In federal parliament last night, Mr Wilkie said the allegations were provided by former Melbourne football club president Glen Bartlett, former Melbourne football club doctor Zeeshan Arain and Shaun Smith, father of Melbourne player and now alleged drug trafficker Joel Smith.
Mr Wilkie aired allegations of prevalent drug abuse in the AFL and off-the-books drug testing of players at Dorevitch Pathology in Heidelberg, which he said was “facilitated by the former chief medical officer of the AFL, Peter Harcourt”.
Mr Wilkie said that players testing positive for illicit drugs were often asked to fake injuries to cover up their result.
“They are advised to lie about their condition, while the results of the off-the-book tests are kept secret and never shared with Sports Integrity Australia or WADA,” he said.
“In other words, hundreds of thousands of Australians will watch the game not knowing that the game has been secretly manipulated by the AFL.
“Thousands of Australians will also bet on that game not knowing that the game has been secretly manipulated by the AFL.”
Dr Arain was sacked by the club in 2020, after media reports claiming he had raised concerns about the club’s culture.
Mr Bartlett stood down as club president in 2021, and has launched legal action against the club in the Federal Court of Australia.
In his speech, Mr Wilkie claimed Mr Bartlett “was dumped by the AFL just eight weeks after a meeting with AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan and AFL chair Richard Goyder where he suggested mandatory drug testing for AFL executives”.
Mr Wilkie called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to study the documents provided to him and to “do everything he can to restore and protect the reputation of our beloved game”.
Misconduct rife in the AFL, MP claims
Mr Wilkie alleged he was told the problem was widespread in the sport.
“Dr Arain also explains, this isn’t just a Melbourne problem; it’s an AFL problem, with multiple players coming to Melbourne from other teams with pre-existing cocaine dependencies, more than suggesting that drug testing workarounds are in fact commonplace elsewhere in the AFL,” he said.
“The documents in my possession also indicate a shocking unwillingness by senior AFL executives to address drug abuse by players and executives, particularly in relation to cocaine usage.”
Under current AFL rules, players caught using illicit drugs are subject to a three-strike system.
On the first detection, a player will receive a $5,000 fine while also undergoing counselling and target testing.
Following the second strike, a player’s name is made public and they serve a four-match suspension.
A third strike incurs a 12-match suspension.
The ABC has contacted the AFL and the Melbourne football club for comment.
Source: AFL NEWS ABC
