In late October, Essendon announced that club doctor Bruce Reid passed away at the age of 75. He was the AFL's longest-serving physician. He began as a player in the VFL, with three games with Hawthorn in 1966 and 1967 before receiving his medical degree in 1968. At that time, he was playing for Preston in the VFA.
by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago
In 2010, former Essendon high performance manager Dean Robinson was employed as the fitness coach at the fledgling Gold Coast Suns. Stephen Dank was also there for several months on a "handshake agreement" until dismissed just prior to the 2011 preseason. Adelaide's Nathan Bock also joined the Suns as an uncontracted player at the start of the 2010 season after 113 games with the Crows. During his time with the Suns,
by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago
Essendon's worst fears were realized on January 11 with the Court of Arbitration for Sport finding 34 past and present players guilty of taking banned substance Thymosin Beta-4. Even with backdating and time served during the provisional suspensions, the active players in both the AFL and at other levels of competition are banished until mid-November. The suspensions also mean no contact whatsoever or training with their respective clubs.Twelve of the 34 are still at Essendon while the others have either retired, been delisted and gone elsewhere or traded.
The club was hopeful he would be recovered for a send-off game, but it was not to be. Fletcher, 40, expressed disappointment that he could not get up for one more game. He pushed himself in the past few weeks to get back and interim coach Matthew Egan also lamented that one more game for the veteran defender had not proven possible. Egan said the Dons gave Fletcher every chance to play on Sunday but he ruled himself out.by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago
by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago
THE VERDICT IS IN - NOT GUILTY
The saga that has lasted over two years is finally over with the Anti-Doping Tribunal clearing all 34 players involved in the supplements program.The verdict was unanimous and in a statement Tribunal Chairman David Jones spelled out the reasons:
The statement also said that a decision regarding "a former Essendon support person" (read: Stephen Dank) would be made at a later date. Whether or not the full 133-page decision document or part of it will be made public is left up to the players, the club and their lawyers. Leaked copies have apparently reached some in the media. In summary, the panel conceded there was insufficient evidence against the players to establish that they had taken TB-4 and it could not be established that the substance they were injected with was in fact, TB-4. The credibility of the key individuals involved was so low and the chain of custody and record keeping so suspect, exactly what was injected could not be proven.
by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago
February 9 to 12, 2015
After a week of uncertainty and speculation, Essendon will field a team in the NAB Cup preseason games. It was rumored that the Bombers might boycott the preseason games, a “one in, all in” scenario. This boycott was for several potential reasons. The first was to protect the anonymity of the “supplements” players (provisionally suspended while the Tribunal considers its decision and ASADA's refusal to leave the suspensions backdated if the players took part in the NAB Challenge). The players involved wanted the suspensions backdated to when they last played in September of 2014. As a result, they dropped their request to have the provisional suspensions lifted by the AFL Commission which has the power to do so. Bombers Dustin Fletcher and Jobe Watson are already at risk of losing part of the backdating due to the AFL allowing them to play in the International Rules Series late in 2014.
Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago
Essendon's preseason campaign could be non-existent with up to 18 players on provisional suspensions while the Anti-Doping hearings continue. The Bombers' first NAB Cup game is scheduled for March 7 but the case may not be concluded for several weeks after that. If found guilty, the players could have their sanctions backdated to their last game in September 2014. The club has been in talks with the AFL, which has the power to lift those suspensions to allow the players to compete. Essendon chairman Paul Little said it was unclear whether or not such a move would impact the ability of a player to use this time against a potential sanction in the event of a guilty verdict. He said the club continues to work with "all relevant parties" to clarify the situation and reach a "satisfactory outcome for our players as quickly as possible.”
by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago
On June 12 ASADA, after 16 months, finally took the first step towards charging Essendon players with the use of illegal substances during the club's 2012 supplements program. ASADA has issued "show cause" notices to 34 past and current Essendon players. The notices are not infraction notices, rather they are notices for the players to respond to and explain why they should not be charged. They have ten days from notification to respond. The notices refer to the use of a peptide known as thymosin Beta 4. There has been no mention of the controversial anti-obesity drug AOD-9604.
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