The 2012 Brownlow Medal

[The Great Pretender 430]

This is the elephant in the AFL room. 

I think Jobe Watson has to hand over the Brownlow Medal which according to the CAS was won by him with the benefit of performance enhancing substances.

The question is should the Medal be vacated for 2012 i.e no award at all OR should it be awarded to Trent Cotchin and Sam Mitchell?

I think it should be awarded to Cotchin and Mitchell as the two highest polling legal players over the year. It would be an injustice if they didn't get their medals.

[biggestred 4,296]

Can't believe the afl didn't make it happen yesterday. 

[Gipsy Danger 1,067]

I'm not sure Mitchell or Cotchin would accept it. Who wants to have that asterisk next to their name on the Brownlow winners.

no result for the year would be the best outcome

[Grapeviney 8,815]

I think rjay made the point in another thread, and it was also well argued by Barrett on Footy Classified last night, that it's a farce that the AFL are even giving Jobe a say in the matter.

It's like asking a criminal to help decide his sentence.

The AFL are running a competition, not a reality tv show where the viewer gets a vote - they should make decisions, not outsource them because they seem too hard and don't want a PR catastrophe. As noted above, it should have been done yesterday.

I think Watson will do the honourable thing and hand it back. 

 

[biggestred 4,296]

1 minute ago, Hellfish said:

I'm not sure Mitchell or Cotchin would accept it. Who wants to have that asterisk next to their name on the Brownlow winners.

no result for the year would be the best outcome

Irrelevant. Award it to them as rightful winners.

It's not an asterisk. Jabcheated. same as when someone was suspended and won it

[daisycutter 28,509]

6 minutes ago, Grapeviney said:

I think rjay made the point in another thread, and it was also well argued by Barrett on Footy Classified last night, that it's a farce that the AFL are even giving Jobe a say in the matter.

It's like asking a criminal to help decide his sentence.

The AFL are running a competition, not a reality tv show where the viewer gets a vote - they should make decisions, not outsource them because they seem too hard and don't want a PR catastrophe. As noted above, it should have been done yesterday.

I think Watson will do the honourable thing and hand it back. 

 

agree, but not sure about the last sentence as watson is reported as wanting to appeal, so it seems he's not prepared to accept cas's reality yet.

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

1 minute ago, daisycutter said:

agree, but not sure about the last sentence as watson is reported as wanting to appeal, so it seems he's not prepared to accept cas's reality yet.

Beat me to it, thats what i was thinking......can they actually appeal tho?? Maybe Jobe wants to wait till all the legal advice is in......

[Gipsy Danger 1,067]

10 minutes ago, biggestred said:

Irrelevant. Award it to them as rightful winners.

It's not an asterisk. Jabcheated. same as when someone was suspended and won it

 

I got no problem with it getting taken off Watson.

I just think it should be made a no result year like what happened in the NRL when the storm had their premierships striped for the salary cap infringements. If it was me I wouldn't want it

[biggestred 4,296]

2 minutes ago, Hellfish said:

 

I got no problem with it getting taken off Watson.

I just think it should be made a no result year like what happened in the NRL when the storm had their premierships striped for the salary cap infringements. If it was me I wouldn't want it

That's different as there would have been a different finals series.

This just disqualifies one player that has no effect on the others

[TeamPlayedFine39 8,154]

One part of this is crystal clear to me, and seemingly the majority of the community; the medal has to be taken off me.  I like Watson as a player and and, from what I can tell, an individual.  However, he won an individual award whilst taking an banned substance.  There is no conceivable way he should be able to keep it.

Regarding what happens to the medal, that's a little bit more grey... I would suggest that is is 'unawarded' for that season.  Firstly because so much time has passed, but also because the entire season has been tarnished due the doping of an entire team.  It feels like the results are murky regardless of who's awarded the medal.  The actions of the EFC have ruined 2012 and a vacant Brownlow where their captains name once stood should stand as a reminder of the shame that club has brought upon themselves. 

[Gator 16,892]

Watson should hand it back before being asked.

I wouldn't award anyone the Brownlow that year.  It's tainted and should read 'no result'.

[daisycutter 28,509]

53 minutes ago, ProDee said:

Watson should hand it back before being asked.

I wouldn't award anyone the Brownlow that year.  It's tainted and should read 'no result'.

it's not tainted, just the person who happened to win it with the aid of peds

cotchin and mitchell should get it.........because they were the best and fairest......no question now

the fact that time has passed is lamentable, but it didn't stop the afl awarding brownlows to those who lost on countbacks in the past

 

[Whispering_Jack 27,971]

The two highest polling and untainted players deserve to be the fairest and best. Not awarding the Brownlow means giving in to the culture introduced into the game by the machinations of the Danks of this world - something we shouldn't allow to happen. Cotchin and Mitchell deserve to share the medal.

[Captain Todd 167]

15 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

The two highest polling and untainted players deserve to be the fairest and best. Not awarding the Brownlow means giving in to the culture introduced into the game by the machinations of the Danks of this world - something we shouldn't allow to happen. Cotchin and Mitchell deserve to share the medal.

Give it to Cotchin, very deserving player. Plus I had him in the sweep.

If Jobe was Fairest, he would give it back. Its ironic, best and fairest for a player doing what is the honourable thing, keeping it is not honourable.

 

[beelzebub 22,225]

If Jobe had any moral fibre he would hand it back with a humble apology.

Alas...look who's genes he has....... His oldman sold out on backbone years ago

#giveitbackjobe

[Captain Todd 167]

2 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

If Jobe had any moral fibre he would hand it back with a humble apology.

Alas...look who's genes he has....... His oldman sold out on backbone years ago

#giveitbackjobe

What are the chances that he will hand it back?

Its not going to look good in 5 years time when they cross to him live on the boundary and say "Brownlow medallist, Jobe Watson"

When they try to protect a brand, it starts to lose its innocence as a game and everything the fame is loved for.

[Willmoy1947 3,772]

1 hour ago, ProDee said:

Watson should hand it back before being asked.

I wouldn't award anyone the Brownlow that year.  It's tainted and should read 'no result'.

Above everyone else in that club he would know what he took and was given "ad infinitum"

I would not be able to bear that...

[Willmoy1947 3,772]

Just occurred to me the reason why the AFL in their normal "benevolence to cheats week" has decided the delay in decision is ok is because its going to cost him millions in returned

Brownlow perks, and he had better check his bank book and garden

 

[old dee 22,852]

IMO this is really simple.

he is a convicted drug cheat.

he therefore loses the medal.

End of story.

[Ethan Tremblay 28,385]

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2016-01-13/jobe-watson-devastated-by-ban-maintains-players-innocence

 

There is no way he is handing the Brownlow back of his own accord. 

[Captain Todd 167]

19 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2016-01-13/jobe-watson-devastated-by-ban-maintains-players-innocence

 

There is no way he is handing the Brownlow back of his own accord. 

Ethan, based on that article, they still believe they are innocent.

[KingDingAling 3,596]

Whether he hands it back on his own accord or not doesn't really matter. It is a best & FAIREST award, and Watson played with an unfair advantage that year. Award will be stripped. Not sure what the AFL will do with it after that, I dare say they will declare it a void year, no one wins, that will cover the backside of their sponsors (betting agencies).

[jnrmac 18,954]

5 hours ago, Hellfish said:

I'm not sure Mitchell or Cotchin would accept it. Who wants to have that asterisk next to their name on the Brownlow winners.

no result for the year would be the best outcome

Why? Didn't the same thing happen to Corey McKernan and CHris Grant? Lost the Brownlow on a breach of the rules? Whats different here?

[DeeSpencer 23,128]

43 minutes ago, KingDingAling said:

Whether he hands it back on his own accord or not doesn't really matter. It is a best & FAIREST award, and Watson played with an unfair advantage that year. Award will be stripped. Not sure what the AFL will do with it after that, I dare say they will declare it a void year, no one wins, that will cover the backside of their sponsors (betting agencies).

Corporate bookies will make more money paying out on Mitchell and Cotchin, advertising the shizen out of it and getting everyone to re invest their profits back in to the 2016 Brownlow pool.

The Fairest part of the award involves fair play on the field. I don't see it having to be linked based on the 'fairness' aspect. He'll lose the medal purely on legal reasons of being found guilty of doping. 

As for the commission delaying the decision, well I understand it. Football is a business whether you like it or not and that means taking care of your customers. There's no point pissing off a bunch of Essendon members and supporters on a day they are already feeling bad about by dropping the Watson news as well. It would also seem silly to strip Jobe of the medal now and everyone having the debate about Mitchell and Cotchin when it's not the most pressing matter.

[FireInTheBennelly 4,024]

46 minutes ago, Georgiou R.R. Martin said:

Corporate bookies will make more money paying out on Mitchell and Cotchin, advertising the shizen out of it and getting everyone to re invest their profits back in to the 2016 Brownlow pool.

The Fairest part of the award involves fair play on the field. I don't see it having to be linked based on the 'fairness' aspect. He'll lose the medal purely on legal reasons of being found guilty of doping. 

As for the commission delaying the decision, well I understand it. Football is a business whether you like it or not and that means taking care of your customers. There's no point pissing off a bunch of Essendon members and supporters on a day they are already feeling bad about by dropping the Watson news as well. It would also seem silly to strip Jobe of the medal now and everyone having the debate about Mitchell and Cotchin when it's not the most pressing matter.

I certainly hope you are correct. I backed Cotchin at good odds, but it's so long ago I can't remember the exact bet. Do you really think they'll pay up, presuming Jab hands it back and it's re-awarded?

Edited January 13, 2016 by FireInTheBelly
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