The " Witch hunt " that is swirling around in both the AFL and League is completely out of control. There is a distinct possibility that the final outcome will be the destruction of both Essendon football club in Melbourne and the Cronulla Sharks in Sydney.
It all started when the Australian Crime Commission ( ACC ) released a lurid news story that it was investigating a scandal in both AFL and League that involved drug taking and that very shortly action would be forthcoming against individuals. They refused to name either clubs or players, but hinted that some people would probably serve jail time.
The ACC then ducked for cover and flick passed the matter to ASADA. The rumour mills ran rife, but ASADA took it's own sweet time carrying out an investigation - and many months later - draconian penalties are being suggested that may see illustrious sporting teams fade into oblivion.
This whole matter has been blown out of proportion. It all revolves around the desire of individual clubs in both codes to gain a competitive " edge " that will propel them to the top of their sport. At that stage, what could be described as a " sports technician " entered the scene with the promise of using science to enhance the ability of individuals by using " development regimes " to fine tune their abilities.
This evolved into the application of a newly developed substance called " Peptides ", which at that time was on the borderline of legality, and that's where the mystery deepens. It is suggested that the players were unaware of what they were persuaded to use and that the revelations between coaches and sports administrators was " murky ". Who knew what - and what was agreed is still a matter of contention. It was suggested many clubs were involved, but the focus was maintained on just Essendon and Cronulla.
The rulings are now clear. Peptide use is legally out, but a question mark hangs over the era in question and both AFL and League are taking a hard line approach. It has been suggested that Cronulla may be banished from the Sydney league and sent to the backblocks of Queensland, and Essendon's future is under a similar cloud. Fines that run into millions of dollars are being touted.
Does it make any sense to annihilate two leading sporting clubs and reduce the competition over what could at best be described as " an unfortunate mistake " by club management ? This matter has been blown out of all proportion and it now looks like the baby is being thrown out with the bath water.
Time that the administration of both codes took a deep breath and regained their sanity. These penalties are way out of kilter with the supposed " crime " !
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