Talking Footy

Secret AFL deal to avoid player sanctions fires up NRL boss Dave Smith by: Rebecca Wilson


THE NRL is reeling from claims the AFL had worked on a secret deal with government agencies which would see it avoid sanctioning players suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs.
NRL boss Dave Smith has been prevented from speaking publicly about the Australian Crime Commission investigation but The Daily Telegraph understands he is livid the AFL was seeking favourable treatment to avoid player suspensions.
Smith met with Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Sydney's west this week and sought reassurances that rugby league was treated in exactly the same way as the AFL in the doping scandal enveloping both sports.It is understood AFL boss Andrew Demetriou met with drug agency officials and politicians in recent weeks to forge a deal which would see the Essendon players at the centre of the investigation freed from sanctions.

When news of the AFL's machinations reached the NRL, Smith acted swiftly to ensure no such deal materialised.

Demetriou admits his office has taken a proactive approach to dealing directly with ASADA and the federal government but denies there have been secret deals or favourable treatment.

"I won't deny that we have been in talks with ASADA since day one," he said. "We have been transparent and the Essendon players came forward freely with their concerns at the start. They have been totally honest.

"I know the NRL has been jumping up and down with the Prime Minister but there is a mechanism in place, available to all athletes under the code, that allows for more lenient penalties if the athlete is honest from the outset. All we have done is seek to ensure that our athletes will be treated fairly under that code.

"The investigation is not even complete yet so nobody knows the outcome but I will say that we have treated this very seriously from day one.

"We have not hired lawyers or loudly criticised the process. The ACC obviously has a lot of information and we are keen to ensure this is the right outcome for all concerned."


Demetriou.
AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou. Source: The Daily Telegraph
.
However, Smith remains concerned his players will be suspended without a fair hearing because of the ACC and ASADA's need to produce "scalps".

NRL staff are privately fuming Cronulla were swooped on by ASADA, while Essendon were not subject to the same scrutiny from the drug agency.

Smith has been told that ASADA's new wide-ranging coercive powers, which come into effect in the next few weeks, will have a huge impact on the NRL players under investigation.

Without a positive drug test, the investigation has so far stalled, with players under a cloud being told they should confess.

ASADA will soon have the power to force them to answer questions, giving them wide ranging powers to suspend without a full investigation.


wow
just wow

a sport devoid of dignity & morals
their sleazy leader .. turns up at ASADA in a trench coat with the collar pulled up .. & tells ASADA to meet him down a dark ally way ... I have brown paper bags here full of dough
let us off & they're yours .....

scum would be embarrased by this sport
filth would not associate with it for fear of lowering their standards

but the gigs up
Julia's been called
its out
the VFL's attempt at buying their way out .. like they have for years with the Victorian police has failed as this is a federal matter
the pressure that will be brought to bear on ASADA by the NRL now .... will now see Essenwood's door being knocked on any day soon to recieve the same treatment the Sharks have

the NRL says .. enjoy

and this is the difference between the AFL and NRL.

The AAFL is proactive, cooperative, forthright.

The NRL reactive, uncooperative, stupid....

=D> =D> =D>

Xman wrote:

and this is the difference between the AFL and NRL.



=D> =D> =D>

oh theres a difference alright

the VFL is a sleazy bunch of scum who will attempt to buy & squirm their way out of every situation
the NRL is a sport with ingerity who face their accusers like men =D> =D> =D>

seriously its embarrsing
sickening , wot the VFL were attempting to do ....
these arrogant scum think they are above the law ... well , they may have been in Victoria as they have had their police in their pockets & have for decades
but not in Canberra at the Federal level
as they are about to find out

the NRL has blown the Whistle ..
ASADA officials putting in Essenmonds HQ into their GPS .. as we speak
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Raiderdave wrote:

Xman wrote:

and this is the difference between the AFL and NRL.



=D> =D> =D>

oh theres a difference alright

the VFL is a sleazy bunch of scum who will attempt to buy & squirm their way out of every situation
the NRL is a sport with ingerity who face their accusers like men =D> =D> =D>

seriously its embarrsing
sickening , wot the VFL were attempting to do ....
these arrogant scum think they are above the law ... well , they may have been in Victoria as they have had their police in their pockets & have for decades
but not in Canberra at the Federal level
as they are about to find out

the NRL has blown the Whistle ..
ASADA officials putting in Essenmonds HQ into their GPS .. as we speak
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Funny how you discard everything Bec Wilson says, except this article!

AD is attempting to do what every decent CEO should do, minimise damage, support employees, look after their product. The AFL were clever enough to involve ASADA from the start, open Essendon to full ASADA investigation, hide nothing. In return ASADA have strongly hinted that Essendon may avoid sanctions for both cooperating and demonstrating they were innocent victims.

Unfortunately it loos like the intelligence ASADA glean from essendon may be used to sink up to 6 NRL clubs.

Now thats a shame....

Xman wrote:

Raiderdave wrote:

Xman wrote:

and this is the difference between the AFL and NRL.



=D> =D> =D>

oh theres a difference alright

the VFL is a sleazy bunch of scum who will attempt to buy & squirm their way out of every situation
the NRL is a sport with ingerity who face their accusers like men =D> =D> =D>

seriously its embarrsing
sickening , wot the VFL were attempting to do ....
these arrogant scum think they are above the law ... well , they may have been in Victoria as they have had their police in their pockets & have for decades
but not in Canberra at the Federal level
as they are about to find out

the NRL has blown the Whistle ..
ASADA officials putting in Essenmonds HQ into their GPS .. as we speak
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Funny how you discard everything Bec Wilson says, except this article!

AD is attempting to do what every decent CEO should do, minimise damage, support employees, look after their product. The AFL were clever enough to involve ASADA from the start, open Essendon to full ASADA investigation, hide nothing. In return ASADA have strongly hinted that Essendon may avoid sanctions for both cooperating and demonstrating they were innocent victims.

Unfortunately it loos like the intelligence ASADA glean from essendon may be used to sink up to 6 NRL clubs.

Now thats a shame....

the sleazy fat fuck is trying to buy his way out of trouble
but this is a federal organisation
the VFL can't bribe their way out of this one .. like they have on so many other occasions

the NRL has shone a light on the VFL's weasly attempts at not taking their medicine like men
which is so very typical of these gutless sheilas

ASADA has a lot of attention on them as a result of the NRL's direct complaints to the PM
& poor ol Essenwood are gunna be the next club to get Sharks like headlines in a week or two

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Raiderdave wrote:

the sleazy fat fuck is trying to buy his way out of trouble
but this is a federal organisation
the VFL can't bribe their way out of this one .. like they have on so many other occasions

the NRL has shone a light on the VFL's weasly attempts at not taking their medicine like men
which is so very typical of these gutless sheilas

ASADA has a lot of attention on them as a result of the NRL's direct complaints to the PM
& poor ol Essenwood are gunna be the next club to get Sharks like headlines in a week or two

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

You ok Dave you sound close to tears. The AFL will do all it can legally the same as the NRL to get the best deal possible if there is an issue.
Now my question to you is why are there Shark players out there playing today now that it has been confirmed that they were on drugs by the chairman/CEO? Sounds about 10 times worse then the tanking.

Raiderdave wrote:

Xman wrote:

Raiderdave wrote:

oh theres a difference alright

the VFL is a sleazy bunch of scum who will attempt to buy & squirm their way out of every situation
the NRL is a sport with ingerity who face their accusers like men =D> =D> =D>

seriously its embarrsing
sickening , wot the VFL were attempting to do ....
these arrogant scum think they are above the law ... well , they may have been in Victoria as they have had their police in their pockets & have for decades
but not in Canberra at the Federal level
as they are about to find out

the NRL has blown the Whistle ..
ASADA officials putting in Essenmonds HQ into their GPS .. as we speak
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Funny how you discard everything Bec Wilson says, except this article!

AD is attempting to do what every decent CEO should do, minimise damage, support employees, look after their product. The AFL were clever enough to involve ASADA from the start, open Essendon to full ASADA investigation, hide nothing. In return ASADA have strongly hinted that Essendon may avoid sanctions for both cooperating and demonstrating they were innocent victims.

Unfortunately it loos like the intelligence ASADA glean from essendon may be used to sink up to 6 NRL clubs.

Now thats a shame....

the sleazy fat fuck is trying to buy his way out of trouble
but this is a federal organisation
the VFL can't bribe their way out of this one .. like they have on so many other occasions

the NRL has shone a light on the VFL's weasly attempts at not taking their medicine like men
which is so very typical of these gutless sheilas

ASADA has a lot of attention on them as a result of the NRL's direct complaints to the PM
& poor ol Essenwood are gunna be the next club to get Sharks like headlines in a week or two

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

As AD has already stated, the AFL have been working WITH ASADA on this matter for weeks. Theyre already investigating Essendon and have even said to them they are possibly going to avoid sanctions.

The AFL got this right from the get go. It didnt involve bribes, it called cooperation.

The NRL just started self destructing.

How secret Bombers deal came unstuck.A proposed deal between ASADA and Essendon whereby Bombers players would escape doping sanctions with zero penalty, while Cronulla players would be given a minimum six-month ban, was aborted following protests from lawyers acting for ASADA and Cronulla.

The very same day that ARLC chief executive, Dave Smith, learnt of a proposed preferential deal to his main competitor, he raised it with Prime Minister Julia Gillard at a pre-arranged meeting in Sydney. While Smith is now confident any discriminatory deals are off the table, the AFL can be expected to be frustrated that 45 players from one of its most prominent clubs may be suspended for the season.

Rumours of a secret deal have circulated since March 4, following a meeting in Sydney with representatives of the Sharks, ASADA and the NRL. Lawyers acting for Cronulla raised the question at the meeting whether Essendon players had been offered a lesser sanction.

ASADA counsel, John Marshall SC, denied such a deal would be possible but the following day provided advice to Cronulla's legal team, led by Trish Kavanagh, that this was not the case. He was so chagrined by the revelation of a possible zero sanction to Essendon he told Cronulla counsel he was withdrawing from representing ASADA, for whom he had acted for 20 years.

Advertisement At the time 14 Cronulla players were considering their options, with 12 expected to accept guilt in the belief ASADA would propose a reduced six-month ban. Another two players were tipped to follow. But negotiations stalled as a result of the exposure of the Essendon deal.

Lawyers acting for the Sharks are furious because the settlement could have seen the players back on the field by September. Now, however, the players are acting individually with their own lawyers, ruling out any prompt, joint resolution. During the tense meeting, Marshall indicated it would not be possible for the two codes to be treated differently and ASADA officials present nodded accord.

The next morning, on March 5, Marshall revealed to counsel acting for Cronulla that he had been inadvertently misled and admitted there were preferred terms for Essendon. He said he had become aware of a letter to Essendon, and when Cronulla's counsel asked for it to be forwarded to them, Marshall did so. The letter, written in fluent legalese, made it clear that if the Essendon players met all of the qualifications asked, a zero sanction would apply.

But NRL players were told the standard two-year ban could be reduced to one year under a ‘‘no significant fault’’ defence and that this could be further discounted by six months if they provided ‘‘substantial assistance’’, including dobbing in teammates and football club officials.

It is not clear whether the substances used at both clubs are the same, giving rise to why the sanctions may have been different. However, the prospect of a difference forced Smith to raise it with the Prime Minister.

Eleven days later, as rumours circulated of Essendon’s proposed superior deal – prepared by a recently appointed ASADA lawyer – Fairfax Media met ASADA chief executive Aurora Andruska in Canberra. Andruska, who had not been present at the Sydney meeting, said both codes would be treated equally.

‘‘Whatever I do, I have the scrutiny of WADA,’’ she explained. ‘‘We put ourselves up as a world leader in the fight against drugs in sport. How would we look if WADA overturned our sanctions? It would be the worst thing for our international reputation. I have a document given to the AFL and the NRL. It is the same document.’’

Andruska also told the Herald the ‘‘no fault’’ defence could be sustained only during a medical procedure. ‘‘The only time a zero sanction has been given was when the athlete has been unconscious during surgery by a doctor,’’ she said.

Given reports that Essendon players were injected as many as 50 times, this defence would be difficult to sustain. Yet this was a possible outcome for Essendon players, according to the document provided by Cronulla’s lawyers. It was dated 12 days before the document was provided to Cronulla counsel on March 5. It begs the question why such a crucial deal, nearly two weeks old, was not revealed at the Sydney meeting, particularly when it was so forthcoming the following day.

Asked to explain the conflict, a spokesperson for ASADA, perhaps relying on the fact that ASADA cannot sanction anyone but merely make recommendations on penalty, said: ‘‘ASADA has not offered a zero sanction to any athlete or support person.’’ The Herald understands Essendon do not believe a zero sanction was ever an option, with a spokesman saying: ‘‘We have no comment.’’


wow
how can anyone be proud to be associated with this slimy .. scummy sport & its shonky car salesmen of a CEO

well done to David Smith & the NRL for calling ASADA on this quite obvious attempt at preferential treatment for the avoid at all costs any responsibility VFL & getting this deal

off the table

Essenminda
expect a knock on yr door any day now

Raiderdave wrote:

How secret Bombers deal came unstuck.A proposed deal between ASADA and Essendon whereby Bombers players would escape doping sanctions with zero penalty, while Cronulla players would be given a minimum six-month ban, was aborted following protests from lawyers acting for ASADA and Cronulla.

The very same day that ARLC chief executive, Dave Smith, learnt of a proposed preferential deal to his main competitor, he raised it with Prime Minister Julia Gillard at a pre-arranged meeting in Sydney. While Smith is now confident any discriminatory deals are off the table, the AFL can be expected to be frustrated that 45 players from one of its most prominent clubs may be suspended for the season.

Rumours of a secret deal have circulated since March 4, following a meeting in Sydney with representatives of the Sharks, ASADA and the NRL. Lawyers acting for Cronulla raised the question at the meeting whether Essendon players had been offered a lesser sanction.

ASADA counsel, John Marshall SC, denied such a deal would be possible but the following day provided advice to Cronulla's legal team, led by Trish Kavanagh, that this was not the case. He was so chagrined by the revelation of a possible zero sanction to Essendon he told Cronulla counsel he was withdrawing from representing ASADA, for whom he had acted for 20 years.

Advertisement At the time 14 Cronulla players were considering their options, with 12 expected to accept guilt in the belief ASADA would propose a reduced six-month ban. Another two players were tipped to follow. But negotiations stalled as a result of the exposure of the Essendon deal.

Lawyers acting for the Sharks are furious because the settlement could have seen the players back on the field by September. Now, however, the players are acting individually with their own lawyers, ruling out any prompt, joint resolution. During the tense meeting, Marshall indicated it would not be possible for the two codes to be treated differently and ASADA officials present nodded accord.

The next morning, on March 5, Marshall revealed to counsel acting for Cronulla that he had been inadvertently misled and admitted there were preferred terms for Essendon. He said he had become aware of a letter to Essendon, and when Cronulla's counsel asked for it to be forwarded to them, Marshall did so. The letter, written in fluent legalese, made it clear that if the Essendon players met all of the qualifications asked, a zero sanction would apply.

But NRL players were told the standard two-year ban could be reduced to one year under a ‘‘no significant fault’’ defence and that this could be further discounted by six months if they provided ‘‘substantial assistance’’, including dobbing in teammates and football club officials.

It is not clear whether the substances used at both clubs are the same, giving rise to why the sanctions may have been different. However, the prospect of a difference forced Smith to raise it with the Prime Minister.

Eleven days later, as rumours circulated of Essendon’s proposed superior deal – prepared by a recently appointed ASADA lawyer – Fairfax Media met ASADA chief executive Aurora Andruska in Canberra. Andruska, who had not been present at the Sydney meeting, said both codes would be treated equally.

‘‘Whatever I do, I have the scrutiny of WADA,’’ she explained. ‘‘We put ourselves up as a world leader in the fight against drugs in sport. How would we look if WADA overturned our sanctions? It would be the worst thing for our international reputation. I have a document given to the AFL and the NRL. It is the same document.’’

Andruska also told the Herald the ‘‘no fault’’ defence could be sustained only during a medical procedure. ‘‘The only time a zero sanction has been given was when the athlete has been unconscious during surgery by a doctor,’’ she said.

Given reports that Essendon players were injected as many as 50 times, this defence would be difficult to sustain. Yet this was a possible outcome for Essendon players, according to the document provided by Cronulla’s lawyers. It was dated 12 days before the document was provided to Cronulla counsel on March 5. It begs the question why such a crucial deal, nearly two weeks old, was not revealed at the Sydney meeting, particularly when it was so forthcoming the following day.

Asked to explain the conflict, a spokesperson for ASADA, perhaps relying on the fact that ASADA cannot sanction anyone but merely make recommendations on penalty, said: ‘‘ASADA has not offered a zero sanction to any athlete or support person.’’ The Herald understands Essendon do not believe a zero sanction was ever an option, with a spokesman saying: ‘‘We have no comment.’’


wow
how can anyone be proud to be associated with this slimy .. scummy sport & its shonky car salesmen of a CEO

well done to David Smith & the NRL for calling ASADA on this quite obvious attempt at preferential treatment for the avoid at all costs any responsibility VFL & getting this deal

off the table

Essenminda
expect a knock on yr door any day now

The Fact that they would try and escape punishment with a backroom deal reminds me of the type of person running this country.......Julie Gillard anyone ....or is this a Victorian way of life do tell us NSWman how you boys operate.....

Snakes that is all that needs to be said.

AD is perfectly within his rights to proactively approach ASADA to ensure AFL players benefit from their willingness to fully cooperate with ASADAs investigation.

The fact the NRL are too stupid to do this is their problem

But Demetriou said yesterday the report was "complete and utter nonsense".

"It's simply not true," Demetriou told 3AW radio.

"The fact of the matter is, shortly after the (Australian Crime Commission) announcement in Canberra ... we sought an urgent meeting with ASADA and the Federal Government representatives to make sure that we could, one, make public what the issue was in AFL football ... and secondly, we sought to get clarification very quickly about the sanctions that were under the WADA code and in what circumstances could those sanctions be reduced.

"Then we instructed Essendon to co-operate fully. That's being professional, it's being diligent, it's being thorough.

"We don't even know what the investigation is going to find. I'm not quite sure how you do a deal based on what you don't know."

An ASADA spokesman said yesterday: "ASADA has not offered a zero sanction to any athlete or support person."

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/AFL/more-ne ... 6608724023

The NRL friendly media in Sydney were wrong? How can that be?

Xman wrote:

AD is perfectly within his rights to proactively approach ASADA to ensure AFL players benefit from their willingness to fully cooperate with ASADAs investigation.

The fact the NRL are too stupid to do this is their problem

the VFL & its clubs .... trying to sleaze & slime their way out of their wrong doing through the back door ( a pastime in this sport no doubt)

NRL clubs in the meantime confront the issue .. head on , with dignity & courage
I'd be ashamed of this gutless slime bag antics of my sport if it were doing what the low scummy VFL was doing

but I'm not a brain washed merino

Xman wrote:

But Demetriou said yesterday the report was "complete and utter nonsense".

"It's simply not true," Demetriou told 3AW radio.

"The fact of the matter is, shortly after the (Australian Crime Commission) announcement in Canberra ... we sought an urgent meeting with ASADA and the Federal Government representatives to make sure that we could, one, make public what the issue was in AFL football ... and secondly, we sought to get clarification very quickly about the sanctions that were under the WADA code and in what circumstances could those sanctions be reduced.

"Then we instructed Essendon to co-operate fully. That's being professional, it's being diligent, it's being thorough.

"We don't even know what the investigation is going to find. I'm not quite sure how you do a deal based on what you don't know."

An ASADA spokesman said yesterday: "ASADA has not offered a zero sanction to any athlete or support person."

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/AFL/more-ne ... 6608724023

The NRL friendly media in Sydney were wrong? How can that be?

yes
we'd believe a fat fuck who fronts a sport proven to have told utter lies in almost every facet of its operations
for the last 20 years near non stop

yes
him denying it is an end to the speculation

What about ASADA?

Xman wrote:

What about ASADA?

ASADA confirmed the VFL had attempted to .... sleaze their way out of sanctions

is reading a problem for you