Damage done !

The shock announcement from the ACC that all our sporting codes are rife with drug use has subsided to a whimper - but in it's wake is a trail of damage that may prove impossible to fix.   It has certainly crippled NRL team Cronulla.    That club was struggling to get it's finances in order and was about to announce a name sponsor - when the accusation hit and sullied the brand.   Interest from sponsors and supporters withered away and the future of the team is now - at best - uncertain.

The amazing thing is the lack of detail that has emerged to support these accusations that ranged across the AFL, ARL and Soccer spectrum.   The ACC backed off immediately and flick passed the investigation to ASADA.   ASADA was not in a position to name names and now - weeks later - we learn that just two players have been told they will be called to an investigative interview - and another thirty-one can expect a similar knock on their door.

At the time of the original bombshell from the ACC, it was suggested that organized crime was involved - and there was a hint that this could include match fixing.   The silence since then has been deafening.   The entire matter of drug use seems to revolve around drugs that were not banned at the time these " crimes " were supposed to happen.  It seems that certain  " Peptides " are more for injury recovery than for stimulating body functions.   The whole thing is descending into what many people consider to be " grey areas ".

It is obvious that this accusation of drug use in sport was premature and lacking in evidence.  It should not have been made - until the evidence had been collected and the accuser was ready to lay charges and bring people before the courts.  Now we are seeing a desperate search to justify the damage done and this is likely to extend over months - and possibly years.

Eventually, it will proceed to the litigation stage.  Clubs and individuals who have had their reputations harmed are likely to seek redress, particularly if their value has been reduced and no charges have been levelled against them.   That is the danger of wild accusations that are made without the means of backing them up.

This has been a sorry experience.     Unfortunately, it received world wide news coverage and besides the damage to individuals, codes and clubs, it has stained Australia's international sporting reputation.  The people who made the decision to go public have a lot to answer for !