Double blow for Essendon with drugs charges to trigger immediate bans for culprits By Eliza Sewell
Herald Sun
June 28, 2013 Any Essendon player cited for an alleged doping offence would be barred from playing until his case was determined by an AFL tribunal.
The AFL Anti-Doping Code states the only way a player could compete before a tribunal decision was reached would be by the intervention of the AFL Commission.
It is possible charges could be laid in the Essendon case in the final month of the home-and-away season.
While the doping code does not stipulate when the tribunal must be held, it's expected it could take one or two weeks to be convened.
The code allows for appeals.
The stand-down provision in the AFL code has particular significance for Essendon, fourth on the ladder and poised to play finals.
The AFL has confirmed it expected the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority-AFL investigation into Essendon players' supplements use in 2012 to be finished in August.
Former ASADA boss Richard Ings this week said he expected doping charges to be laid against Essendon captain Jobe Watson and possibly other Bombers following Watson's admission on Monday he believed he took the banned peptide AOD-9604.
Watson said he understood AOD-9604 was an approved substance based on information contained in a club consent form that he had signed.
Under the AFL Anti-Doping Code, ASADA would notify the AFL of an alleged doping violation, after which the league "as soon as possible" must issue an infraction notice to the player.
Section 12.4 of the code says once an infraction notice is issued, the player "will be ineligible to participate in any match" until "the determination of the tribunal".
The code describes this as a "provisional suspension". But it gives the games's highest body the power to intervene, stating the player will be ineligible "unless otherwise determined by the AFL Commission".
AFL deputy chief executive Gillon McLachlan responded to the scenario of Essendon winning the premiership last weekend, then facing sanctions.
"I think ... this issue has to be brought to a head before the finals," he said.
"I believe that and I have sort of some line of sight on it.
"I'm hopeful and optimistic that it will be somewhere in the first half of August."
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