Organised crime and drugs in sport investigation

[Shorty]

lol dammit I thought I'd get away with that swears.

 

[Spot On]

Is it time for meals on wheels to take over?????

 

[sretsoor]

CRONULLA have broken the silence on their briefing by the Australian Sport Anti-Doping Agency (ASADA), revealing a period of their 2011 NRL season is under scrutiny.

The NRL club also said none of their players has tested positive for performance-enhancing substances.

The Sharks are one of six teams named in the Australian Crime Commission's (ACC) report into new-age sports doping and crime links but, until this afternoon, were the only one not to make any comment on the briefings given to them by ASADA who have taken over the investigations.

"Yesterday representatives from the Cronulla Sharks attended a meeting chaired by Tony Whitlam QC, the head of the NRL's Integrity Commission,'' the Sharks said in a statement.

"The meeting, which also involved NRL CEO David Smith and representatives from five other NRL clubs, was to provide a better understanding of the investigation currently being undertaken by the ASADA.

"Following the initial meeting, club chairman Damian Irvine and general manager of football Darren Mooney then attended a private briefing with ASADA representatives.

"From those meetings, the Sharks can confirm that none of their players have tested positive to performance-enhancing substances and that ASADA are focusing their investigation on a short period of time in 2011.''

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...r-drugs-scrutiny/story-e6frexnr-1226577284801

 

[supercharger]

Bill Simmons with an excellent article on PED's which appeared on grantland a couple of weeks ago

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8904906/daring-ask-ped-question

 

[docbrown]

This is a thing that's irritated me, look at all this speculation....it's damaging.
If it's so secretive, why bloody release anything at all?

People don't remember the later correction, they just remember the initial hyperbole.

For those who aren't following the story and scrutinizing its details to nth degree, people who might be just casual rugby league watchers or others who we'd be hoping to convert, all they'll tend to remember is "there's a bunch of drug cheats".

Here's what the NRL needs to do to control the story.

They need to get the ACC to specifically list:
* how many players at each club are under suspicion and
* for what specific charge and
* whether or not that charge was committed during the time they've been with that club and
* they need to get them to also do the same thing with the AFL and any other code suspected so that it's not just a rugby league story

No names need to be given, secrecy is kept. At the moment what's happening is just wild speculation. If ASADA catches just one cheat later on they will claim it was a success because they had no list to be held accountable to.

But by printing this list without names when later on if only a tiny portion (or none) of the list is charged, then it will be shown for what it is - a witch hunt.

If the NRL & AFL are to be held to account then surely the government, ACC and ASADA should be held to account also.

 

[Parra]

So far it is a load of bullshit.

 

[docbrown]

So far it is a load of bullshit.

Again, if there's no list, then if even only that Norths player is listed as a "scalp" later on, they'll claim it was a victory and a warning for the future.

But if there's a list and it's all a witch hunt, then it can be shown for the failure that it is.

If there's a list and it's all true and they all get charged, then it doesn't matter as they were all going down any way. Meanwhile clubs with tenuous links like the Cowboys can get on with their season untarnished.

The list would also show just how strong the evidence gathered already is. It stops the speculative drivel and narrows the story down from the previous wild accusations.

 

[El Diablo]

the ASADA boss seemed clueless on Richo

 

[IanG]

Nine News Special at 9:30 tomorrow night. Be interesting to see what's said

 

[no name]

Fancy Channel 9 leeching off the current 'news' with a 'sports in crisis' special.
Yeah Karl Stefanovic is a real class act.

 

[seanoff]

maybe one person from any sport in Australia has tested positive to any banned substance. all there is at the moment is there is the possibility of a suspicion maybe if everything goes to plan that someone may have taken something, possibly.

i think it's the rec drugs might be of more concern and some of the players in the NRL/AFL/RU etc do hang out with people of questionable character.

match fixing. hopefully it just leads to all of the sports marginalising the bookies. currently the amount of gambling advertising is hideous. people want to be, good on em, but no need to give the bookies prime time access on TV.

 

[Lambretta]

Yep, right now we are trying to wrap those lips around sponsors i'd imagine.

Sharks don't have lips..... or eyelids

 

[Lambretta]

Someone is whispering words. There are six clubs under investigation.

No they aren't and no there aren't

The Cowboys were mentioned in a report because one of their players had played for a club where someone else might have possibly taken something according to this mornings SMH.

That's not an investigation - that's a load of old cobblers. Why is that even worth mentioning?

This tripe about "shop a mate" stinks of "we don't have anything and are clutching at straws in a desperate attempt to divert the fact from how poorly handled this entire matter has been"

At best they're trying to scare people in the hope they name names, at worst they're trying to deflect political damage in the shape of the Eddie Obeid corruption trial and appalling media reports about Julia Gillard's popularity in the midde of an election campaign.

 

[Diesel]

9's special (and I haven't seen the ads) will be fill of nothing new, or news worthy and will bag the crap out of RL. Smith needs to make an example of 9 when this happens.. F$ck 'em, just because you pay $200m+ a year for the rights means you are supposed to promote the game, not demote

 

[myanonymoususername]

9's special (and I haven't seen the ads) will be fill of nothing new, or news worthy and will bag the crap out of RL. Smith needs to make an example of 9 when this happens.. F$ck 'em, just because you pay $200m+ a year for the rights means you are supposed to promote the game, not demote

I'm sure it will consist of ex-players saying there's never been any drugs at any club they were at, and they've never heard of anyone using them. Also, idiots asking Dave Smith questions which they should know he's legally bound not to be able to answer.

 

[Frenzy.]

All clubs were told of what category they fell into. Low, Medium or High. Three clubs have claimed low, one low to medium. Cronulla and Penrith are the only ones who are not reporting their level of involvement.

Someone must be high. To make an exaggerated claim there has to be something to exaggerate.

You have no idea about risk assessment. Rating risk is not a contest where all risks are ranked highest to lowest. There could be no clubs in a high category. It's quite possible a risk matrix is used and every club could be low risk. You are really drawing a very long bow in your efforts to insinuate foul play at a club you overtly criticise and quite obviously abhor for whatever reason.

You speculation and innuendo over the course of your torrent of posts here should not, IMO, even be allowed. There are more ways to create problems than naming names. Your toxic jibes and thinly veiled insinuations at and about the Sharks are just as damaging and I have no doubt you intend them to be so.

However, in saying that here's a predicition. You are going to come out of this looking immensely foolish, grossly immature and very, very small.

 

[Miller was a legend]

You have no idea about risk assessment. Rating risk is not a contest where all risks are ranked highest to lowest. There could be no clubs in a high category. It's quite possible a risk matrix is used and every club could be low risk. You are really drawing a very long bow in your efforts to insinuate foul play at a club you overtly criticise and quite obviously abhor for whatever reason.

You speculation and innuendo over the course of your torrent of posts here should not, IMO, even be allowed. There are more ways to create problems than naming names. Your toxic jibes and thinly veiled insinuations at and about the Sharks are just as damaging and I have no doubt you intend them to be so.

However, in saying that here's a predicition. You are going to come out of this looking immensely foolish, grossly immature and very, very small.

No doubt he already has that covered

 

[El Diablo]

http://www.theage.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/dank-link-spurs-probe-20130213-2ednz.html

Dank link spurs probe

Date
February 14, 2013

Brad Walter
Brad Walter
Chief Rugby League Writer

NRL clubs have been told that links with sacked Essendon sports science guru Stephen Dank were the reason they were being investigated by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority over the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Officials from the six NRL clubs named in a report by the Australian Crime Commission were briefed by ASADA representatives on Tuesday, and while they were told there are other aspects of the investigation, Dank is the common link.

The controversial biochemist was employed by Manly between 2006 and 2010 and was involved with Cronulla for five months in 2011, but his links with the other four clubs were never previously identified.

Penrith, Newcastle, Canberra and North Queensland all say they have never had any association with Dank, but it is believed he told the ACC in two interviews last year that he had been a consultant to the Panthers and the Cowboys.

Both clubs say he was never involved with them, and his only association with Penrith was two meetings with former coach Matthew Elliott and head trainer Carl Jenning in 2011.

It is believed ASADA is investigating whether players at the Knights and Raiders who play for clubs where Dank was previously employed have maintained an association with him.

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Dank or any of the players at the six clubs, which were given severity ratings based on how deeply they were embroiled in the investigation.

Manly and Cronulla are believed to have received higher severity rankings as their association with Dank was more intense. Both clubs are confident players will not be found to have used performance-enhancing substances.

 

[El Diablo]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/other-s...ing/story-fnh9oq7q-1226577452593#.URuBWGediXo

AFL, NRL and ARU begin accumulating blood profiles to reveal effects of blood-based doping

By Steve Larkin, Andrew Drummond and Jim Morton
AAP
February 13, 2013 10:00PM

Australia's football codes say they're creating blood profiles of players as crime fighters come under renewed criticism for their handling of sport's doping scandal.

The Australian Crime Commission (ACC) was branded a "disgrace'' by one rugby league club on Wednesday as widespread blood profiling of athletes was revealed.

But the profiling, dubbed biological athlete passports, can't show any use of the performance-enhancing peptides at the centre of the current controversy.

The ACC last week said it had identified widespread use of peptides by elite athletes but a lack of specifics has angered many sports officials, including North Queensland NRL coach Neil Henry.

"It's just wrong, it has been poorly handled and, to me, it's farcical,'' Henry told reporters in Townsville on Wednesday.

"For people to have to defend themselves not knowing any information is just wrong.''

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president John Fahey conceded it could take years for Australian sport's drugs cloud to clear.

Fahey was also critical of how the ACC delivered its findings of widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs, with links to organised crime, within Australian sport.

"My regret is that they did it in such a general manner,'' Fahey told AAP in London.

"And as a result of announcing it when they did, there will be a long time that will elapse before we know how bad, how extensive, which codes, which teams, which players, which athletes.

"I'm afraid it's not likely that the cloud that is hanging over our head right now is going to be removed any time soon.''

But Australia's major football codes hit back at Fahey's assertions they had not adopted athlete biological passports, as used in cycling.

The AFL, NRL and Australian Rugby Union (ARU) have all started such passports which effectively reveal effects of blood-based doping such as EPO and transfusions, rather than use of substances such as peptides.

The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) introduced athlete biological passports into its Australian-based testing program in July last year.

An AFL spokesman said ASADA had been blood profiling a number of players across its competition "for several years now'', while a NRL spokesman said rugby league was also engaged in blood profiling of players.

ARU chief executive Bill Pulver said in rugby, more than 220 blood and urine tests this year across the Wallabies, Super Rugby and Sevens competitions would provide such biological passports.

"We don't even think twice about the cost because we need to do it to eliminate drugs from the game,'' Pulver told AAP.

Football Federation Australia CEO David Gallop said soccer also tested "in line with the regime recommended to us by ASADA, who, amongst other factors, take into account that our players are different to some of the other sports in terms of player body type."

 

[El Diablo]

Football Federation Australia CEO David Gallop said soccer also tested "in line with the regime recommended to us by ASADA, who, amongst other factors, take into account that our players are different to some of the other sports in terms of player body type

muppet