voicefromthehill
Bencher
SeaEagleRock8 said:Well that is certainly great news, I hadn't heard that. Who said what (do you have a link)?voicefromthehill said:. . . I am not saying nothing happened - but their stance is softening from the original "Blackest day in sport"
(although of course it wasn't the politicians or ASADA or the ACC who made that 'blackest day' comment)
pps things are continuing to unfold even as I type this, so I recommend no-one jumps to conclusions one way or the other!
Facetiousness aside - you and I both know that there is no "supporting quote" However by way of Riposte.
Senator Jason Clare - Feb 7 Media Release on organised crime and drugs in sport. Main points
Press release attended by heads of NRL; AFL; Union; FFA
1. "investigation identified widespread use (my bold) of prohibited substances including peptides, hormones and illicit drugs in professional sport"
2. "It found it had been facilitated by sports scientists, high performance coaches and sports staff"
3. "The ACC also identified increasing evidence of personal relationships of concern between professional athletes and organised criminal identities and groups. this may have resulted in match fixing and fraudulent manipulation of betting market.
4. "Multiple athletes from a number of clubs in major Australian sporting codes are suspected of currently using or having previously used peptides, potentially (my italics) constituting anti-doping rule violations. Officials from clubs have also been identified as administering, via injections and intravenous drips, a variety of substances."
Since this date the sum total of press releases from Clare about this is 0
Senator Kate Lundy on the other hand has done 1 additional media release, congratulating sporting bodies. Both have been conspicuously absent from any further "revelations" or "re definitions" on this issue.
Now to address what we understand
1. Widespread use - should we use the attendance of the original news conference which was represented by all major footballing codes one could comfortably argue that given ASADA have now said they are wanting to interview 31 players, who it must be acknowledged are not all under suspicion, if we were to use NRL top 25 as the basis represents 6% of NRL top 25. Hyperbole at best, and significantly below the 150 previously quoted by the ASADA head (or was it WADA).
To date no mention of the other codes, so one can reasonable assume they are either
a) not even in scope
b) have less issues
This assumption (acknowledge it is an assumption) is based on common sense, target your resources on the biggest opportunity first. So "widespread" seems to be becoming more "isolated"
2. Note use of plural, all clubs - with the possible exception of the Sharks are clear. Again exaggeration of facts based on what was presented yesterday
3. Silence on this point, so will not comment. But a salient point is all the betting agencies have said there is nothing they are aware of.
4. Again use of plural, and again with the exception of the Sharks clubs and by extension officials are cleared. And again silence on the other codes so I will keep my counsel there
Yes I believe there is something to it, no I do not believe it is as extensive as we were led to believe
PS - I checked for any breaking or unfolding news, there isn't any in relation to this issue that I could find