Only an “incredibly small number” of AFL players have been protected by secret drug tests in the past decade, the head of the AFL Players Association (AFLPA) says.
AFLPA chief executive Paul Marsh said speculation published in a Herald Sun article that 100 players have been granted some immunity by club doctors over drug test results is guesswork.
Marsh stressed only the AFL would know the true figures but in his experience the number of players involved in such cases was small.
“It feels like the commentary around this is that it’s happening every week,” Marsh said.
“In my time with the AFLPA, there would be less than a handful of these examples.
“And what would happen here, typically, is the club … would come to us and say, ‘Is it OK for us to do a test of this player because we’re concerned about him turning up (positive) on game day?’
“And our view is, they’re looking after the wellbeing of the player. That makes sense.
“I couldn’t definitively say that happens on every occasion but it certainly has.
“I’ve been doing this job for nearly 10 years and there would be less than a handful of players that this has been an example for.
“(An) incredibly small number.
“Nowhere near the level as perhaps … this story is suggesting.”
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said on Wednesday the league was “unapologetic” about giving club doctors powers to withdraw players from games if they were in danger of testing positive on match day.
Sport Integrity Australia is investigating the claims about secretive illicit drug tests, which were initially raised under parliamentary privilege by federal MP Andrew Wilkie.
Under the testing regime, doctors are not compelled to inform their club’s hierarchy of any positive test for illicit drugs.
Marsh said confidentiality was needed to protect players from backlash from clubs that have threatened to use such information in contract talks.
“We do not discourage the players from discussing this with their coaches, their CEOs, their presidents if they want to,” he said.
“The players fear is that it will be used against them in contracting or whatever … and clubs are freely admitting that they would.”
After Dillon’s press conference, the AFLPA released a statement supporting the AFL’s stance.
“The AFL Players’ Association supports the AFL’s position on this issue and reiterates that the Illicit Drugs Policy (IDP) is entered into voluntarily by the players on the basis it is a medical model and is focused on identifying, educating, and rehabilitating,” it read.
“What is often misunderstood on this topic is that the IDP is separate from the AFL Anti-Doping Code, which is overseen by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and focuses on identifying and sanctioning any athletes who may be taking performance-enhancing substances.”
Carlton coach Michael Voss said he was “disappointed” at the way the policy was being handled.
“Obviously you have club-land commentary and then you have industry-wide and how we’ve perceived that,” Voss told reporters on Thursday.
“I sit well and truly in the same basket: we’re all really surprised and somewhat disappointed with where it currently lies.
“Now it’s up to the AFL and the AFLPA to review what that looks like and what the best steps are moving forward for us … it has been a little surprising how it’s all unfolded.”
Voss said he had never considered that some players could have used the so-called medical model to fake an injury so they couldn’t play and subjected to a possible SIA test on game day.
“In terms of any doubt on player availability, I have never had that,” he said.
Voss joined a growing list of frustrated players and coaches, including three-time premiership coach Mick Malthouse.
“It’s quite damning, it’s such a surprise. I can’t believe how angry I’ve got just hearing the news,” Malthouse said on Wednesday morning after hearing Wilkie’s claims.
“We have an obligation for the players’ health, to start; we have an obligation to the game, want a fair, honest game, we want players who run down the race to play good football without compromise.
“This is almost on the same level as the Essendon saga — in fact, it might even go beyond that. This is suggesting that AFL officials are involved in this.
“It is just so damning… it’s going to place every player, every club official, and in particular club doctors now under scrutiny.
“I can’t describe how angry I am about this … I’ve been in football for 50 years, and you think how can this possibly be?”
AAP/ABC
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Source: AFL NEWS ABC
