NRL reminds ASADA it expects a fair go
by: Stuart Honeysett
From: The Australian
August 14, 2013 12:00AM
NRL chief executive Dave Smith has reminded Australian Sports Anit-Doping Authority investigators he simply wants a "fair go" for his own code in the wake of the authority's investigation into the AFL, and particularly the Essendon club.
There is concern within the NRL that if AFL players are cleared by the ASADA investigation then the pressure will be on the anti-doping agency to collect scalps in its code.
Cronulla captain Paul Gallen recently beefed up his legal team over concerns he was the No 1 target for ASADA and he had his phone confiscated and had data downloaded by Customs officials when he recently returned from a team trip to Auckland.
Smith has campaigned strongly for the NRL to be treated equally, so much so that he raised concerns with then prime minister Julia Gillard in March over an alleged private deal for AFL players.
The NRL boss maintained yesterday that a fair go was important as ASADA continued its interviews with NRL players and officials, which are expected to be concluded by the end of the month.
"I think in life and society everyone deserves a fair go," Smith said at the launch yesterday of a partnership between the NRL and Touch Football Australia.
"It's really, really important. That's my point. Nobody is presumed guilty. What I've said through the interviews is pitch up, tell the truth and tell it well and it will land where it lands.
"I'm not going to prejudge anybody, I'm comfortable with where we're at, I know it's a complex investigation, I've known that all along. A fair go is important, but a fair go is part of being Australian, right?"
Smith was forced to intervene in the process earlier this season after ASADA cancelled its initial interviews with players when the first one broke down with Cronulla backrower Wade Graham over self-incrimination concerns.
The NRL has subsequently installed the head of its integrity unit, Nick Weeks, to sit in on the process and Smith said he was satisfied with how things were progressing.
"I'm not going to give a running commentary on the interviews but the fact of the matter is it's going according to plan," Smith said.
"I'm entirely comfortable with the way it's progressing and by the end of August we would have completed the interviews.
"We've made the same points all along. They're serious allegations, you've got to protect people's rights and nobody is guilty until that's proven, and we need it to go quickly. Those three things are the prime drivers for me and I'll keep pushing that."
Smith was joined at Allianz Stadium yesterday along with a host of NRL stars including Sonny Bill Williams, Anthony Minichiello, Josh Morris, Matt King and Beau Champion to announce a partnership with TFA. The new agreement will bring more than 1.03 million participants together playing in competitions under a joint NRL-TFA banner.
"This is a big whole-of-game statement," Smith said. "It's a natural fit for the two families to come together.
