Essendon players not guilty of using banned peptide, AFL anti-doping tribunal findsBy Stephanie Chalkley-Rhoden
Updated 24 minutes agoThe AFL anti-doping tribunal has found 34 current and former Essendon players not guilty of using a banned supplement during the 2012 football season.
The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) had alleged the players were administered thymosin beta-4 as part of their fitness regime.
It means they are clear to play in the AFL's opening round this weekend.
The tribunal's chairman, David Jones, said the panel was not satisfied the players violated the AFL's doping code.
"The tribunal was comfortably satisfied that the substance thymosin beta-4 was at the relevant time a prohibited substance under the [anti-doping] code," he said.
"The tribunal was not comfortably satisfied that any player violated clause 11.2 of the AFL Anti-Doping Code."
He said the decision against "a former Essendon support person", believed to be Stephen Dank, who ran the club's supplements program during the time in question, would be made at a later date.
Mr Jones said it would not release its reason for the decision, but the parties involved were free to do so.
ASADA chief executive Ben McDevitt said he was disappointed with the decision and Essendon had let down its players and supporters.
"What happened at Essendon in 2012 was, in my opinion, absolutely and utterly disgraceful," he said in a statement.
"It was not a supplements program but an injection regime and the players and the fans were so poorly let down by the club.
"While I am obviously disappointed that the charges in this instance have not been proven to the comfortable satisfaction of the tribunal, I am pleased that the tribunal was finally able to hear these matters."
The decision was handed down behind closed doors but the players' lawyer, David Grace QC, emerged a short time afterwards to confirm the players had been cleared.
He said he was happy with the decision but would not be drawn in to comment on whether reputations have been damaged by the long-running investigation.
"I don't want to comment about the strength or weakness of the case," he said.
"We mounted a very strong defence to the case and the result is here today."
Mr Grace also said he would not discuss whether the players would take any legal action in light of the decision.
"We're going to see the players now and talk to them and I think all they'll be interested in is playing on Saturday."
Much of the evidence put forward by ASADA had been circumstantial, with no player ever testing positive to the supplement.
ASADA had earlier indicated that if the tribunal's finding went against it, it would be more than willing to appeal and now has 21 days to launch a challenge.
It said it would hold a media conference on Wednesday morning.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-31/afl-anti-doping-tribunal-decision-on-essendon-supplements/6361006?section=sport
