I think that just about says it all but excuse me if I don’t hold my breath waiting for a response from the government they have already proven beyond doubt that they lack anything resembling duty of care or a backbone!
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Because ASADA and the AFL did NOT lay any charges against Melbourne, for their supplement program and there were no whistle blowers who came forward, the Melbourne Footy Club are assumed to be as clean as a whistle and as honest as the day is long. The players wouldn’t be concerned about the supplement program and the club and the AFL, would back that to the hilt. If anything untoward happened to one of the players children, the AFL would deal with it under raps. You’ll notice everything’s gone quiet about the Robert Lovett-Murray’s claim on the EFC and the AFL.
The Melbourne Football Club were fined for NOT TANKING. Other footy clubs are still doing what the Melbourne Footy Club did and were fined $500,000 and they are not being accused of tanking or not tanking. Its a dead issue. People, WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH WHAT REALLY HAPPENED during the supplement program at EFC, would still believe every word they read in the media. Even with evidence in black and white, most people have reframed the whole episode, the EFC hired Robinson and Dank but James Hird was the architect of the whole program. He used the players because he wanted to be a premiership coach, that is what they think and there’s no changing their opinion…
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Melbourne and GCS not being investigated by ASADA is proof that there was a deal done with AFL IMHO.
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W.C. Eagles were never investigated.
Hawthorn ‘injection science’ was never investigated.
Carlton ‘blue smoothies’ after training were never investigated.
Collingwood, which had two players found guilty of taking PEDS and which should have triggered a full club investigation, was never investigated.
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Not to mention Collingwood’s trips to Arizona where players with chronic injuries suddenly returned all cured due to the “special training” they participated in over there. The trips stopped soon after the saga started with Nathan Buckley being reported as saying that they didn’t really need wear the expense of going to Arizona any more as they could apply similar training techniques here at home.
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Also not to mention North Melbourne’s lauded sports scientists who got them through a couple of seasons with the lowest soft tissue injuries on record. They were so good they got quietly ushered off the scene when the saga broke (iirc).
And of course also not to mention Geelong who had that sterling Robinson fellow, and also sent injured players to Germany for mysterious injections.
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JT has done his best to bring what happened out into the open and to the forefront of the court bench.
Unless, he’s being backed by “old money connections” the case has little chance of making it much further than
first base. I thank him for his guts, his grit and determination and await the decision.
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Could this be it? …
MP Greg Hunt orders sport integrity review
Renee Viellaris, Federal Political Editor, The Courier-Mail
August 5, 2017 12:00am
Subscriber only
RATBAG sport stars and elite athletes face being investigated and penalised by a powerful new corruption and integrity sports tribunal that could have the powers of a standing royal commission.
Sports Minister Greg Hunt will today reveal he has ordered an authoritative review of the integrity of Australian sport, including the merits of a new national sports integrity tribunal.
There is a similar tribunal in the UK and NZ.
It was predicted the tribunal could become the “Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)” for sport.
A review panel, headed by former NSW Supreme Court Judge James Wood, will consult with the administrators of the NRL, AFL, ARU, Football Federation of Australia and Australian Olympic Committee.
As doping, match-fixing, illegal gambling and integrity scandals continue to overshadow and plague big-spending, big-earning sports teams and stars, Mr Hunt’s move signals individual administrators may lose the power to discipline their own.
There have been criticisms in the past of codes applying different penalties to the same types of serious infringements or crimes.
Mr Hunt told The Courier-Mail the review team was expected to finalise its recommendations by the end of the year.
“Sport is part of our DNA, bringing with it so many physical, social, cultural and economic benefits, so it’s vital the integrity of all sports are protected,’’ Mr Hunt said.
“At the moment we have some of the world’s strongest integrity measures but we need to ensure it always remains this way.
“The review will examine national and international integrity threats and future challenges, including the rise of illegal offshore wagering, match-fixing and doping in sport.
“They will also consider the merits of establishing a dedicated national sports integrity commission.”
The terms of reference require Mr Wood to examine the adequacy and capability of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, including its anti-doping rules.
The process can be lengthy and time-consuming. Changes aim to ensure alleged doping infractions are dealt with in an effective, fair and timely way.
It comes as fears of match-fixing are exacerbated by the rise in illegal online offshore wagering, particularly in Asia.
Australia’s national policy on match-fixing was agreed to in 2011 but there are questions about whether it needs to be updated.
It will also be considered whether Australia should formally join international efforts on countering match-fixing by becoming a signatory to the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sporting Competitions.
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Comments from the petition:
The law is a fragile instrument that relies on the respect it gains from cases being prosecuted diligently, fairly and in an unbiased manner. Acceptance of penalties applied by the law depends on judgments being robust, reasonable and convincing. There are far more important cases than the Essendon drug ‘scandal’ but any lingering sense of unfairness by those passing judgment (CAS/WADA), their supporters (the Australian Government, ASADA, the media who just wanted a story to shout) and those rejecting the judgment (the independent panel who found the players not guilty) all contribute to an undermining of the legal system. This applies not only to Essendon supporters
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Comments from the petition:
Now we know that the real victims are supporters of other AFL clubs who had to endure the debate in their media for so long. A distinct lack of empathy exists out there for our citizens working, our justice system and resources, and for our nation’s sovereignty.
We have some distinct (sometimes well paid) morons diluted with drugs or modes of use that are acceptable, parroting the newspeak whilst it is topical enough to by another loud shout… then what?
Young workers and families are left high and dry. This is the infrastructure for financial bullying that administrators, doctors, and scientists in Nazi Germany would have been jealous of.
Naturally we probably aren’t even allowed to be armed with the vocabulary, terminology, or experience to be able to argue for or against this unimpassioned.
Pack up your troubles… and smile. They hate us if we can cop their transparent cowardice. At least I don’t have to put it in the post now.
Sad thing is, this stuck out like dog’s balls when that grub came in as CEO and attacked Carlton. A shame their members were all yes men. I bought more raffle tickets to help them than most of their selfish members did.
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Comments from the petition:
Essendon has one of the largest followings in the AFL we need to further promote the cause of j34.
My view of the minister will be found at the next election, his appointment of this tainted wada reject does not represent sound representation of the sports fraternity will be cast aside like many politicians with the ■■■■■ in the trough snouts in the champagne dinners at Olympics
Very bad representation of the electorate and sporting goers in general
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I wonder will we hear anything from this report? any word on the court case yet is that going ahead?
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How do you track the case? The Supreme Court website sucks. Can’t find anything on there. Federal court is much better.
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9,427 have signed.
Edging closer to 10,000
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I’ve just seen this update on change.org . If this is true, then justice must prevail & the Essendon 34 must have their reputations cleared (& Jobes Brownlow returned) F/O mitchell & cotchin
**DEC 27, 2018 — **
**Bruce Francis, an independent investigator, has sent the following email to many influential journalists following the recent success of his FOI appeal. He said he now has irrefutable proof that when quoting from Dank texts, Nick McKenzie (The Age) changed words, and ASADA used those corrupted articles to convince the ADRVP to find against the Essendon players. **
"Guys
This is just a taste. I haven’t dissected the articles yet.
This is what McKenzie said in his article:
In August that year, ASADA alleges that Dank told Robinson via a text message that TB4 would be the “cornerstone” of his work at the Bombers because it could accelerate player recovery .
This is what the text said:
23 August 2011
Dank sent Robinson a reminder by SMS:
‘Don’t forget how important Thymosin is. This is going to be our vital cornerstone next year. It is the ultimate assembly regulatory protein and biological modifier.
McKenzie changed Thymosin to TB-4; and added Bombers.
When the text was sent on 23 August 2011, Robinson hadn’t started at Essendon and Dank hadn’t even been interviewed. Until McKenzie inserted Bombers there was no evidence Dank and Robinson were talking about Essendon.
ASADA clearly knew that McKenzie had altered the text, which makes it guilty of corruption for tabling a false document with the ADRVP".
Justice for the 34 renews its call for a Senate or Independent inquiry into anti-doping with wide ranging terms of reference which allow all sporting bodies, all athletes, and all interested parties to make representations.
It’s in the national interest.
Support an independent inquiry to sort this mess out.
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Great work by Bruce!
And also don’t forget how many taxpayers’ dollars ASADA has squandered by fighting this FOI request through the courts, solely to cover their own guilt.
It’s time to drain ASADA’s swamp.
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Can Bruce challenge ASADA/WADA/AFL in the AAT with this NEW EVIDENCE using this text message?
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I’m not even slightly surprised that McKenzie changed the words in the text to suit the Age’s agenda.
But did the ADRVP really accept a McKenzie article about a text as evidence, instead of the actual text itself? Is that really true? If so, mind-boggling - who actually sits on the ADRVP?
And when the case was ultimately presented to CAS, was the actual text used as evidence, or did they also use the McKenzie article?
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What I find strange is that Dank or Robinson would have the actual text on their phone and if not could have their phones forensically cleaned.
IIRC Dank referred to TB4 in a recorded interview, then rang McKenzie to correct that he meant to refer to thymosin.
CAS did not accept that there was an innocent mistake in terminology, but included it as a strand in the cable. It treated Jobe’s evidence in a similar manner when he said that Dank was not in the rooms at an interstate game. Another bogus strand in the cable.
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