ASADA Going Shark Fishing

[Stevo]

I can't really see what suspending the multitude of players achieves 2 years after the fact. The bloke who gave all of these players banned substances or not banned substances should be prosecuted. If an expert being employed by your club gives you something to take who are you to question it?

I wonder if ASADA would even be sniffing around had Dr David Givney at the Sharks not objected to his practices at the time? Was he the whistle blower for lack of a better term?

 

[susan]

The latest news is that they were visiting their ex conditioner off site and he has rolled on them.Who knows if true but if they have gone off site it is game over one would think.

ASADA continue to talk incessantly about incriminating phone taps.Common sense suggests that a group of players unknowingly taking something would not fit the profile of sinister phone taps,why would they even talk about it all if its just day to day business.I have a very bad feeling about this.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Sharks players should stand together and tell them to prove it or f**k off

Yep... Totally agree. Nothing should have ever been said unless they had proof. None of this trying to scare people into admitting guilt BS just because they have some 'intelligence'. Intelligence is NOT proof.

As a former criminal and commercial lawyer in a past life I can tell you that if the intelligence is via phone taps it can most definitely be proof.If a person via a telephone call to a 3rd party incriminates himself it is an extremely probative piece of evidence and in many cases it often determines the outcome.It basically brought down the mafia in the US in relation to tax evasion and proceeds of crime.

Why would they spend so much money and time on it if that was not the case.This is not heresay evidence which is uncorroborated third party testimony-these are admissions by the defendant themselves and are thus treated very seriously.I would assume from their constant reference to phone taps the intelligence will be mainly sourced from that area.

I am not saying at all that I know if they have such evidence but if they do it would be a highly persuasive tool to get a player to plead to the six months.If they have such evidence they will not necessarily need any confession from the players so to suggest it is a bluff would be incorrect - they will be simply saying you can take a plea, admit guilt or defend yourself which may entail a greater penalty which is the way our legal system has worked for a long time.

I like the first comment BUT worry about the second.

 

[swoop]

Cronulla Sharks players Paul Gallen, John Morris and Ben Pomeroy confront Trent Elkin over ASADA investigation by: EXCLUSIVE by James Hooper
From: The Sunday Telegraph
March 07, 2013 12:26PM

CRONULLA captain Paul Gallen and star players Ben Pomeroy and John Morris fronted ex-Sharks head-conditioner Trent Elkin at his house last Tuesday night over the ASADA doping crisis engulfing the club.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal the trio visited Elkin to demand answers about his level of co-operation with the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority.

Elkin is alleged to have divulged full details of the Sharks high performance supplements program during his reign as head conditioner, which ended last October when he joined Ricky Stuart at Parramatta.

The Daily Telegraph has been told ASADA have informed Sharks players and officials there is a whistle-blower who has detailed the exact nature of the peptide-based supplements the club used.

Under Elkin's regime, sports scientist Stephen Dank was hired by the Sharks over an 11-week block in 2011 before club doctor David Giveny intervened and terminated his involvement with the club.



The information has paved the way for former ASADA senior counsel Richard Redman to encourage Cronulla players to admit guilt and accept six-month bans.

Redman has been hired by the Sharks in an advisory capacity since the Australian Crime Commission scandal initially broke last month.

Cronulla initially told the players they had 48 hours to accept the six-month bans or opt to fight it and face two years on the sideline last Tuesday.

But with the majority of players suggesting they were unaware the peptides they were being supplied were on the WADA banned list, they have so far refused to accept any plea-bargain offer.

Dank has repeatedly denied any wrong doing.

http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/star-sharks-confront-asada-whistle-blower/story-fndv2ypb-1226592350198

 

[Ralphie]

If that's true, then it's game over for the hapless Sharkies

---

Oh, and another thing, where is the NRL in all of the Sharkies drama.

 

[susan]

Once again there seems to be this idea that everyone is to blame except the players,just like the players had no idea of the salary rort at the Storm.What a joke that was.The usual modern day theme of no personal responsibility seems to be playing out again.

If these guys took the stuff then they should take the fall.If not then by all means fight it.The legislation is clear.The buck stops with the player end of story and every professional athlete should know that.They know it as they have all been educated about this over and over again.

Common sense obviously points to this being more than just an oversight about what was /was not on a list- all the references to incriminating phone taps and Annersleys comments should make it blatantly obvious to all and sundry that this is not going to be a case of ""ï didn't know what I was taking".

One question that puzzles me is why(if this was a club handing out stuff that they inadvertently thought was legal) are there some players implicated and some not.One would have thought it would be a universal approach across the club.

Whether you agree with it or not,ignorance(if that was the case here )is not excused under the legislation so it is a moot point.To fight it using that as a defence would be simply stupid as it is meaningless under the Act.A guaranteed 2 years basically.

 

[BOZO]

Ignorance of the law excuses no one. end of story

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

As usual, we should all take a deep breath and let it play out. Cross your fingers, hope for the best for our club and the game, and try not to condemn anybody until concrete details emerge.
The Sharks may well be in trouble - it certainly sounds that way. There may be a whistle blower at that club - again, it sounds that way. But no one's said anything about phone taps regarding this particular issue - remember, the original report and its hazy allegations were very broad. And Graham Annesley's opinion about it all being 'scary' means nothing. He might say the same thing about Halloween.

 

[The Wheel]

NRL Sharks to face serious consequences as ASADA probes club
• News Limited Network
• March 07, 2013 9:00AM

The NRL's season opener has been reduced to a sideshow with revelations as many as 14 Cronulla players implicated in ASADA's anti-doping investigation have been threatened with immediate suspension.
Current Sharks players who have been contracted since 2011 - when sports scientist Stephen Dank worked at the southern Sydney club - are all part of the investigation.

As bookmakers suspended all Sharks-related markets on Wednesday it was revealed former ASADA senior counsel Richard Redman had been hired by Cronulla to help guide the club through the crisis.
There are serious concerns that two separate peptide-based supplements given to Sharks players might have contravened the World Anti-Doping Agency code.

But the landscape changed dramatically on Wednesday morning when NRL CEO David Smith announced that the Sharks will not only lose players to suspension but also serious punitive measures if the widespread allegations are confirmed as expected.

The Darkest Day

In tragic news for Sharks fans Smith this morning said “The Sharks must pay for their sins, I will be recommending to the NRL board that Cronulla be heavily fined and also forfeit any trophies won over the last 30 years including the AMCO Cup won in 1978” .

When approached on Wednesday, Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan said it would be devastating if the Endeavour trophy room at the Leagues Club lost its most prized possession. He refused to comment further.

However one bit of good news for the embattled club is that Smith confirmed that the Sharks will be allowed to keep all the wooden spoons won during the period.

-End-

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

So if 14 players don't play on Sunday we'll know who they are OR if they are fighting it they will run out anyway (unless stood down by the club).

Seems to me that if this has legs we'll know in about 48 hours.

As I did for the Storm Fans when they had their Premierships stripped and were playing for nought, I can only but feel bloody sorry for the Sharks fans, they, many of whom have forked out their hard earned to become members, do NOT deserve this.

So save your vitriol for pricks like Slothfield (who would be screaming at the top of his voice if this was Manly), he deserves everything we can chuck at him (saw a ripper on Facebook last night) but be considerate of the everyday Sharkie's fan, they do not deserve this ****e!!

 

[master blaster]

So if 14 players don't play on Sunday we'll know who they are OR if they are fighting it they will run out anyway (unless stood down by the club).

Seems to me that if this has legs we'll know in about 48 hours.

As I did for the Storm Fans when they had their Premierships stripped and were playing for nought, I can only but feel bloody sorry for the Sharks fans, they, many of whom have forked out their hard earned to become members, do NOT deserve this.

So save your vitriol for pricks like Slothfield (who would be screaming at the top of his voice if this was Manly), he deserves everything we can chuck at him (saw a ripper on Facebook last night) but be considerate of the everyday Sharkie's fan, they do not deserve this ****e!!

well said Mark,I agree

 

[Fairy Bower]

Phil Rothfield‏@BuzzRothfield

I'm told 6 of the Sharks players chosen for Sunday's game against Titans have been offered 6-month suspensions for early guilty pleas

 

[Masked Eagle]

Former ASADA head Ings was on fox sports and said that sharks have the best legal guy for this stuff in Aus advising them and if he says take 6 months then they should. He said typically the group won't admit anything straight up but one will roll over and get the short sentence. The rest will go down for longer

I don't understand this. How can the FORMER legal guy be in a position to offer them anything? He doesn't work for ASADA anymore and no one from ASADA has spoken to the players about this so how can an offer even be on the table?

As for Richard Ings. The more I see him interview the more he is coming across as a smug beuracrat who is enjoying his time in limelight. He doesn't work for ASADA anymore. He has always been of the position that players are always guilty. Don't like the bloke.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

So if 14 players don't play on Sunday we'll know who they are OR if they are fighting it they will run out anyway (unless stood down by the club).

Seems to me that if this has legs we'll know in about 48 hours.

As I did for the Storm Fans when they had their Premierships stripped and were playing for nought, I can only but feel bloody sorry for the Sharks fans, they, many of whom have forked out their hard earned to become members, do NOT deserve this.

So save your vitriol for pricks like Slothfield (who would be screaming at the top of his voice if this was Manly), he deserves everything we can chuck at him (saw a ripper on Facebook last night) but be considerate of the everyday Sharkie's fan, they do not deserve this ****e!!

well said Mark,I agree

WELL you could give me a like, haven't had one in a while!!

 

[manlyfan76]

Sharks recent history: matt johns NZ hotel with teammates, Greg bird glassing alleged, CEO zapia hitting a female employee, failed bid to move to the central coast, Reni matua 2 yr suspension for ped's, coaching merri-go-round, relentless financial troubles, and now alleged wide spread doping!
Makes other teams look like angels.

 

[bones]

Sharks recent history: matt johns NZ hotel with teammates, Greg bird glassing alleged, CEO zapia hitting a female employee, failed bid to move to the central coast, Reni matua 2 yr suspension for ped's, relentless financial troubles, and now alleged wide spread doping!
Makes other teams look like angels.

Peter Gow cutting up a St. George fan's jersey with a pair of scissors..... Lol

 

[globaleagle]

So if 14 players don't play on Sunday we'll know who they are OR if they are fighting it they will run out anyway (unless stood down by the club).

Seems to me that if this has legs we'll know in about 48 hours.

As I did for the Storm Fans when they had their Premierships stripped and were playing for nought, I can only but feel bloody sorry for the Sharks fans, they, many of whom have forked out their hard earned to become members, do NOT deserve this.

So save your vitriol for pricks like Slothfield (who would be screaming at the top of his voice if this was Manly), he deserves everything we can chuck at him (saw a ripper on Facebook last night) but be considerate of the everyday Sharkie's fan, they do not deserve this ****e!!

well said Mark,I agree

WELL you could give me a like, haven't had one in a while!!

Your proportion of likes given to likes received is too low. That's the problem. WINK

 

[manlyfan76]

Former ASADA head Ings was on fox sports and said that sharks have the best legal guy for this stuff in Aus advising them and if he says take 6 months then they should. He said typically the group won't admit anything straight up but one will roll over and get the short sentence. The rest will go down for longer

I don't understand this. How can the FORMER legal guy be in a position to offer them anything? He doesn't work for ASADA anymore and no one from ASADA has spoken to the players about this so how can an offer even be on the table?

As for Richard Ings. The more I see him interview the more he is coming across as a smug beuracrat who is enjoying his time in limelight. He doesn't work for ASADA anymore. He has always been of the position that players are always guilty. Don't like the bloke.

I understand that he is there at the invitation of Cronulla to advise them. They got him because he is the best around and his advice to them is take the 6 months which means admitting and cooperating with ASADA, just admitting is 12 months.

 

[Stevo]

Felt sorry for ya @[Mark from Brisbane]

 

[manlyfan76]

So if 14 players don't play on Sunday we'll know who they are OR if they are fighting it they will run out anyway (unless stood down by the club).

Seems to me that if this has legs we'll know in about 48 hours.

As I did for the Storm Fans when they had their Premierships stripped and were playing for nought, I can only but feel bloody sorry for the Sharks fans, they, many of whom have forked out their hard earned to become members, do NOT deserve this.

So save your vitriol for pricks like Slothfield (who would be screaming at the top of his voice if this was Manly), he deserves everything we can chuck at him (saw a ripper on Facebook last night) but be considerate of the everyday Sharkie's fan, they do not deserve this ****e!!

well said Mark,I agree

WELL you could give me a like, haven't had one in a while!!

Your proportion of likes given to likes received is too low. That's the problem. WINK

Next up we will start doing TBH's!