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No chance ASADA/WADA/whatever will revisit the cronulla case?
WADA rules out appealing Cronulla Sharks sanctions
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...ns-but-hits-out-at-asada-20140930-10o9p1.html
No chance ASADA/WADA/whatever will revisit the cronulla case?
WADA rules out appealing Cronulla Sharks sanctions
Didn't they already hand out the Sharks suspensions ? What is there to revisit
Yep, the AFL is all about protecting their brand no matter what the cost.The AFL and Essendon were so hell bent on protecting their image that they made it worse.
#karma
Because they pleaded guilty I suspect, anyway boo hoo to the AFL. Shows how their supposedly impartial inquiry was into the whole affair and how their verdict was Suss.I still cannot fathom the logic whereby the cronulla players bans were backdated so they then only get a few weeks ban. But they participated and played during that backdated period. Wtf?
From my understanding Cronulla cooperated with the investigation. ASADA was and still probably is hopelessly underfunded. When this broke ASADA didn't have the qualified and experienced people to deal with it.
The relentless and ultimately successful pursuit of Essendon by anti-doping agencies for a guilty verdict and a meaningful suspension was driven by their conviction that if an AFL Tribunal had heard the case against Lance Armstrong, the American cyclist would still have seven Tour de France titles.
The World Anti-Doping Agency and its national affiliates, such as the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, did not want the first case of athletes from a professional male team sport taking banned drugs to receive the benefit of the doubt by a domestic sports tribunal.
"Harmonisation" is the key word in international sport and anti-doping circles penalties against individual athletes and team sports for use of performance enhancing substances must be the same.
The appeal by WADA against an AFL anti-doping tribunal which found in favour of 34 past and present Essendon players of doping violations has been upheld by CAS and the AFL finding set aside.
All 34 who were injected with the banned drug thymosin beta-4 have been given a two-year suspension effective from the date the AFL Tribunal freed them on March 31, 2015.
It expires on March 31, 2017 but the four and a half months the still active players served from an AFL provisional suspension means they will be eligible to return to training in November 2016.
Essendon have lost a great chunk of their squad for the entire 2016 season.
The players did not receive any further backdated relief, as the NRL's Cronulla players did, because they were not viewed as having cooperated with the enquiry.
The CAS panel, which met in Sydney in November, asked seven of the players to come forward for questioning. They were not served up by their club, or the AFL Players Association for examination, or, indeed, asked by the AFL's anti-doping tribunal to appear.
The CAS panel said the finding of a violation of 11.2 of the AFL anti-doping code had been reached by a majority, inferring that one of the three tribunes disagreed.
However, Fairfax Media understands this is simply because not all 34 players were interviewed by the CAS panel and therefore one of its members could not find against all 34.
CAS may have also viewed the AFL negotiations with the federal government as subversion of the anti-doping process, as well as the legal action by then Essendon coach James Hird against a joint AFL/ASADA investigation as non-cooperation.
Essentially, the evidence viewed by both CAS and the AFL tribunal was the same but CAS' approach differed.
The AFL Tribunal set themselves three questions: was the supplement imported from China thymosin beta-4; was the supplement compounded for Essendon's use thymosin beta-4 and finally, was the substance injected at Essendon thymosin beta-4?
The AFL Tribunal could not be comfortably satisfied on the first two questions, which meant it never reached the stage of questioning the Essendon players over what substances they were injected with on Monday and Tuesday mornings.
Rather than take a linear attack, common in criminal cases, CAS sought to piece together a jigsaw.
Thymosin beta-4 is a peptide designed to improve recovery and early in the week is the best time for its administration. Six of the players who appeared before CAS said they were given thymosin and a seventh said he saw the name on a vial.
The relentless pursuit of Essendon was led by a zealous former policeman, ASADA's chief executive, Ben McDevitt, who was convinced the well-meaning AFL tribunes had looked at the Essendon case through the lens of "beyond reasonable doubt", rather than the lower bar of "comfortable satisfaction".
Olympic team sports, such as soccer, basketball and hockey, already compete at the summer Olympics and are subject to doping rules. WADA is negotiating with the big American professional team sports, such as the NFL, Major League Baseball, NBL and ice hockey and some are already WADA compliant.
The AFL, which prides itself on its indigenous game, must now join the wide world of a sport.
Because they pleaded guilty I suspect, anyway boo hoo to the AFL. Shows how their supposedly impartial inquiry was into the whole affair and how their verdict was Suss.
The extent to which the Essendon program was formalised and built into their whole program was a little different to what happened at the Sharks too.
Sports scientist Stephen Dank has been found not guilty of three charges related to banned substance Thymosin Beta 4 by the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal.
Dank was found guilty on ten other charges.
The tribunal was reportedly not satisfied that Dank was guilty of administering or attempting to administer Thymosin Beta 4. He was also found not guilty of assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting or covering up the administration of the banned substance to Essendon players during his time at the Bombers in 2012.
Dank has been at the centre of Essendons controversial supplements program in 2012 since ASADA and the Australian Crime Commission made the announcement in 2013.
He said in an interview to Fairfax Media that he had administered the players Thymosin Beta 4, but later clarified that he was referring to the drug known as Thymomodulin, which is not banned under the WADA code.
Thymosin Beta 4 is banned under the WADA code.
The tribunals decision follows the call made last month to clear 34 current and former Essendon players of taking the peptide. The tribunal found there was insufficient evidence presented by ASADA that the players were administered the drug.
spot on mate, Essendon and the AFL only have themselves to blame. The Nutter Essendon fans reactions on Facebook has been priceless.Not only did they plead guilty but they also cooperated with the investigation - also entitling them to a discount. The NRL's handling of this situation was far better than that of the AFL's. All players were found guilty in the end, but the AFL's appalling handling of the situation disqualified their players from any goodwill in the handing out of sentences.
They got what they deserved, and can now go and have a big cry.
Wahhhhhh.
Suity
i was so shattered when I heard the News, the unjust treatment of these poor innocent players has been abhorrent Gaz.Hiney will be beating his meat red raw this morning at the thought of the AFL suffering.
The AFL would of let of Charles Manson if he could fumble a ball.The AFL also cleared Stephen Dank. :roll:
http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/04/17/stephen-dank-found-innocent-of-thymosin-beta-4-charges/
i was so shattered when I heard the News, the unjust treatment of these poor innocent players has been abhorrent Gaz.
They should sue somebody it's just not fair!!!