{"id":387045,"date":"2024-04-22T03:42:06","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T03:42:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=387045"},"modified":"2024-04-22T06:04:02","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T06:04:02","slug":"afl-running-itself-into-a-disaster-on-drugs-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=387045","title":{"rendered":"AFL 'running itself into a disaster' on drugs policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

E\ufeffddie McGuire<\/a> has urged the AFL<\/a> to "hurry up" and implement a revamped drugs policy as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

The governing body is reviewing its current policy following bombshell accusations of widespread drug use among players<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The allegations were brought to light in federal parliament by MP Andrew Wilkie last month\ufeff, after receiving a tip-off from former Demons doctor Zeeshan Arain that the club supposedly conducted off-the-books testing to help players avoid being caught and suspended.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> 'Made my blood boil': Ricciardo lashes F1 upstart<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> 'Disappointing' Olyroos fail to qualify for Olympics<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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Demons player Joel Smith tested positive to cocaine on game day late last year, and is facing a potential two-year ban from the AFL.<\/p>\n

The AFL's drugs policy was introduced in 2005 and amended in 2015. \ufeffA player who tests positive to illicit drugs can pay a $5000 fine in the first instance, while a second strike results in a four-game ban and a third strike in a 12-game ban.<\/p>\n

\"Eddie<\/p>\n

McGuire, though, fears the threat of potential future legal action against the AFL from players who aren't discouraged properly from engaging in illegal drug use.<\/p>\n

"\ufeffI say this to the AFL all the time – why are you dying in the ditch for illegal activity, for people who don't care?" McGuire said on Nine's Eddie and Jimmy Podcast<\/em> on Monday.<\/p>\n

"\ufeffIf you get done on game day, you get four years. If they get done on Monday (the AFL should be) going to give them six weeks.<\/p>\n

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"\ufeffWhat was there to help the players – i.e don't throw them out – is now a situation where the testing is now going to be far more enhanced, it's more sensitive, the drugs are more potent, players are taking more risks by being a bit closer to match time and it's running itself into a disaster.<\/p>\n

"It's not going to end well, this sort of situation. You can dance around these things but ultimately you have to say 'right, these are the new rules'."<\/p>\n

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While the AFL has already committed to updating the policy, McGuire fears it is taking too long.<\/p>\n

And he believes the game should look to move away from the World Anti-Doping Association, especially following revelations that Chinese swimmers were allowed to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics despite testing positive for a banned substance seven months beforehand.\ufeff<\/p>\n

"My understanding was that by June (the AFL) might have a position… I'd have hurried it up a touch," he said.<\/p>\n

"I don't know there's anything really going on that is more important than this at the moment.<\/p>\n

"This is going to explode. The drugs thing is going to blow up because it's an Olympic year, (it) always does.<\/p>\n

\"AFL<\/p>\n

"Maybe the time has come for the AFL to step away from WADA.\ufeff I'd stay with WADA on match day. Don't forget WADA is not the AFL, and they like to go after the AFL and professional sports, particularly in an Olympic year and when funding is coming up.<\/p>\n

"I think there should be more testing, I don't think there is enough testing on match day. I'd let WADA do that because then it is at arm's length and it is independent.<\/p>\n

"You have to have some punitive measures, but at the same time because it is our game we can be empathetic to our players. That means saying 'guys, we're going to test you' – and taking away this complete fallacy that taking drugs during the week is not performance enhancing – cocaine is a performance enhancing drug when you're training… it gives you an artificial pump-up.<\/p>\n

"We have to get around all this bullshit of 'they are good guys, their mates are doing it and it's a societal thing' – we're paying enough money now.\ufeff"<\/p>\n

In a statement following the Wilkie bombshell last month, the AFL says it has a "commitment to player wellbeing and welfare" entrenched in its drugs policy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

E\ufeffddie McGuire has urged the AFL to "hurry up" and implement a revamped drugs policy as soon as possible. The governing body is reviewing its […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":387049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387045"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=387045"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387045\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":387052,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387045\/revisions\/387052"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/387049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=387045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=387045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=387045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}