It is time for the AFL to get powerful and clear on illicit drug use.
That is not simply the view of unbiased MP Andrew Wilkie, who used parliamentary privilege to stage allegations in regards to the AFL’s drug coverage final month, but additionally former Collingwood boss and long-time sports activities journalist Eddie McGuire.
Mr Wilkie’s criticisms rocked the league, however McGuire was glad to listen to them.
“I used to be truly fairly open to Andrew Wilkie popping out and saying this stuff as a result of it shone a lightweight on it,” the previous Collingwood president stated.
Mr Wilkie alleged in parliament that quite a few gamers have been gaming the AFL’s illicit drug coverage, which gives three strikes for gamers who check optimistic for medication resembling cocaine on non-game days.
On the primary strike, gamers are usually not named.
Mr Wilkie advised parliament that many gamers who examined optimistic then faked accidents to keep away from being examined on recreation days, once they could be topic to a lot harsher penalties below the AFL’s World Anti-Doping Company (WADA) code.
It’s one league with two completely different drug testing regimes, and McGuire believes the inconsistencies have to be checked out.
“In the mean time, we’ve got a state of affairs the place [under the illicit drug policy] for those who go and self-report, you get no weeks and also you get taken care of,” McGuire advised 7.30.
“You get caught on match day and also you get 4 years, so it is far and wide and we simply must tighten this stuff up.”
The danger to the credibility of the sport is now too nice for the coverage to proceed as it’s, in accordance with McGuire.
Gamers dwell in a world the place societal use of illicit substances is commonplace and that may depart them susceptible to extortion from anybody who manages to report them utilizing and posts the footage to social media or sells it to information shops.
It’s a course of that has been oft repeated lately.
“Heads out of the sand, let’s be grown-ups about this and take a grown-up strategy,” McGuire stated earlier than he referred to as for offending gamers to be named.
“I consider there must be punitive motion and you need to be named. And I feel that’ll act as a deterrent.
“But it surely additionally implies that these explicit gamers can then be given the best steerage and the best rehabilitation.”
McGuire’s views symbolize the “get powerful” aspect in AFL circles which needs to see the drug coverage tightened.
AFL physician says Wilkie is off the mark
However there’s one other highly effective faculty of thought from the AFL golf equipment’ medical doctors. They consider the precedence must be sustaining patient-doctor confidentiality for gamers who might have a drug downside, not naming and shaming.
“It is all very nicely to place guidelines and laws in place. I feel that is necessary,” Barry Rigby, the AFL Docs Affiliation president, stated.
“However I feel the medical public well being literature would help the truth that that is not going to alter a number of the complicated behavioural points that we take care of once we’re speaking about illicit substances.”
Dr Rigby referred to as Mr Wilkie’s allegations “nonsense” regardless of AFL CEO Andrew Dillon not refuting them on the time as he spoke of a “scientific intervention mannequin”.
“We’re not within the enterprise of feigning accidents and we’d by no means actually coerce a participant to do this,” Dr Rigby advised 7.30.
“I will re-emphasise the truth that when a participant does transgress in that space, it is normally invariably a participant that has quite a lot of different medical, psychosocial or psychiatric or psychological well being points.
“They usually’re the gamers, in our opinion, that want prolonged assist slightly than a punishment.”
Change is coming, AFL CEO says
For Mr Dillon, issues have modified and there’s now a dialogue underway across the AFL’s coverage.
“Our illicit medication coverage has served the AFL and its gamers very well for 19 years, and it continues to serve us nicely, however we additionally know we’re in 2024,” he stated.
“We’re reviewing the coverage and we now must do what we wish to do is evolve our coverage … in order that it is match for objective for 2024 and past.”
What kind the evolution will take is not clear however there are hints the brand new guidelines might be an adjustment, not a wholesale overhaul.
“I feel what’s necessary with any coverage, no matter what you are , is I do not assume extremes at any stage — at both finish of the extremes — are what you need,” Mr Dillon advised 7.30.
“What you need is a balanced coverage that appears after the well being and pursuits of our gamers, but additionally be sure that that we’re balancing all the pursuits of the general public as nicely.”
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