AFL ‘in the dark’ over doping charges

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AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan says the league remains in the dark over the issuing of show-cause notices to Essendon players.

McLachlan stated he does not know what Essendon players were administered, what evidence ASADA used to justify the issuing of show-cause notices or the details of any offer of leniency.

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His comments come as Bulldogs president Peter Gordon calls on ASADA to drop its action against Bomber players, and the pharmacist who supplied peptides to the Bombers says neither ASADA or the players ae ever likely to know what they were injected with.

Essendon coach Mark Thompson says some players are coping with the stress of the drugs saga better than others.

"You go through all different phases, it's like grieving," he said at a press conference on Friday morning.

"In the end you just don't want to become mentally exhausted out of the whole process which is our danger.

"At times you get angry ... you want to fight, you want to vent.

"Some guys have been there and come out of it and some players might still be in there."

Essendon coach Mark Thompson keeps an eye on his players. Source: News Corp Australia

Gordon, who said he was not speaking on behalf of the Bulldogs but as "a lawyer of several decades' experience" said the players were "innocent victims" who should be cleared now.

In response to questions on ABC radio about ASADA's obligation to pursue players for possible anti-doping violations, Gordon said: "What ASADA have is an obligation to pursue their statutary objectives and to do so in accordance with fairness and proper process, and in my view, in the current circumstances and the evidence as it has now been revealed, the appropriate way for them to conduct themselves is to withdraw the show-cause notices."

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Gordon said the process had been "contaminated" by the extensive delay and revelations of extensive negotiations between the AFL and the anti-doping body before interviews started - and the possibility players volunteered information based on an understanding that a deal had already been struck.

The Bulldogs president said ASADA should continue to investigate Stephen Dank while the Bombers had already been punished.

"There has been references to some other club presidents this week saying Essendon should cop its right whack, well, it did last year."

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Speaking for the first time in an exclusive interview with The Australian , compound pharmacist Nima Alavi says neither ASADA or the players were ever likely to know exactly what players were administered with.

Alavi supplied a batch of Thymosin peptide to Dank in January 2012 and ASADA alleges it was used untested on Essendon players. Dank has denied the claims but if they are true Alavi says it's impossible to know if players were given Thymosin Beta 4, which is banned, a permitted peptide such as Thymodulan, or something else altogether.

"If he (Dank) hasn't got it tested then he has got some compounds that could have anything in them," Alavi said. "They could have any foreign substance in them. They could have viruses in them. You have got no idea. It is very disturbing."

Pharmacist Nima Alavi. Source: News Corp Australia

McLachlan said the AFL is still not privy to direct information from ASADA, despite show cause notices being issued more than a week ago.

The AFL Players' Association has urged ASADA to reveal evidence against Essendon players and McLachlan said the lack of open communication and visibility of the process was a "huge problem".

"I have spoken to Ben (ASADA chief executive Ben McDevitt), but with respect to the discussion with the players, the evidence against them on the basis of a show cause notice, I have no visibility at the moment and that is obviously a challenge," he told 3AW radio on Friday morning.

"It's the process as it runs. Simply, we are trying to get visibility — we don't have it."

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Essendon utility Brendon Goddard last night said an offer from ASADA to the Essendon players to accept a reduced ban in exchange for a guilty plea was "insulting".

"What's disappointing is getting an early-guilty plea (offer). A guilty plea for what?" Goddard said.

"The boys are adamant they've done nothing wrong. So is the footy club."

McLachlan said he is unaware of any offer.

"I don't know what the offer is, we don't have the visibility of it, again that's challenging and it's the situation we'd like to know I guess. I don't know whether it is an insulting offer or not, again, can't comment, because don't know," Mclachlan said.

"That is a huge problem as I see it right now, in this chair as chief executive of the AFL and you don't have visibility over this and players are saying they have an insulting offer and we don't know what it is, it has to be rectified going forward in my mind."

McLachlan said he had enormous empathy for the players and agreed the current system to deal with such an investigation is broken.

"I think this is incredibly challenging and we have to get through it, and when we do the system will be reviewed, but we are where we are with respect to this investigation and I think everyone agrees it's gone on too long and for the players sake and everyone's sake we want it brought to conclusion as quickly as we can."

McLachlan said he hoped the investigation would reach resolution quickly and would not be dragged through the courts.

"I hope it's not ... I hope we are able to get through and get to an outcome so that we are not sitting around in courts for two — three years."

McLachlan would not speculate on whether Essendon captain Jobe Watson would be stripped of his 2012 Brownlow Medal or whether board changes at club level should be mandated.

"There are so many angles that run off this, I'm committed to transparency — that time will come — but to speculate on all those difference angles is just unfair to the players and unfair to Jobe, there will be a time for that when we actually understand what's going on here."

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McLachlan did however acknowledge he can understand why there is a perception the AFL is responsible for ongoing leaks to the media around the joint AFL-ASADA investigation.

"It didn't come from the AFL ... I can't guarantee things from down below but it didn't come from my office. But what I do, do is that I accept the perception that it may have."

When you have more than two parties it is very difficult to know, with respect to leaking, where it is coming from. ASADA have got a roll to play going forward, as does the AFL, but how we streamline this process going forward — I know Ben McDevitt feels the same way as me, it has to be improved.

McLachlan said the League remained committed to an ongoing relationship with WADA and ASADA.

"In the end we are in partnership with the government and ASADA right now, what we both agree is the process can be improved going forward ... We are a signatory to an agreement with ASADA, they are our drug enforcement agency and we both agree it can be improved going forward."

The 34 current and former Essendon players issued show-cause notices by ASADA have been given an extension to respond to their charges.

The AFL Players' Association (AFLPA) confirmed on Thursday the anti-doping authority had agreed to its request to lengthen the response time.

The deadline is now July 11.

While the 34 players will have an additional two weeks to respond, it's unlikely to mean their cases are heard after the conclusion of Essendon's Federal Court action — the stated aim of the AFLPA.

The club's legal action will be first heard on June 27, along with the separate legal injunction filed by exiled coach James Hird.

On Wednesday, AFLPA chief executive Ian Prendergast called for an extension and for ASADA to hand over its evidence briefs against the 34 players.

Prendergast threatened legal action if the AFLPA was denied the briefs, though it's understood ASADA has yet to respond to that request.

For the first time, the June 27 directions hearing will be broadcast on television, with the ABC providing a live feed of the court.

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