The Swiss Court has ruled in the case of the Essendon 34 - Essendon players' final appeal fails

Swiss court dismisses Essendon 34's appeal against doping bans

The Court said that the players accepted the CAS decision that the hearing before it was de novo. They did not challenge the de novo hearing when they should have done but in any event such a challenge would have failed. 

In essence, the appeal was a waste of time but perhaps that was exactly its purpose from an Essendon perspective. Another nine months have passed, the players concerned served out their suspensions and the Bombers have emerged without further penalty and a greatly enhanced draft position with the AFL deciding that the club should incur no further penalty other than the three year old governance punishment.

I find that incomprehensible. No penalty for creating an environment for drug cheating and no consideration given for the fact that the team's lowly ladder position had something to do with it going through the season without a dozen of their best players as a result, giving them the #1 draft pick next month.

I have a problem with Jobe Watson retaining his Brownlow Medal given the outcome of the doping case. Given that the AFL has acted in such a kindly manner to the Bombers and the way it has dealt with other important issues, I would not be surprised to see the AFL wriggling  out of making a decision to take away the Brownlow.  

It's disgusting they weren't sanctioned when the WADA findings came down, and yet again nothing will come of today's upholding of that decision by the highest court in the world.

For all the damage Essendon have wrought about the image of the game, at the very least they should be punished for bringing the game into disrepute. But nope, can't hurt poor Essendon, don't want to hurt those gate takings for AFL HQ do we? 

I have made a start by never mentioning their Club name in any comment i make on this site.I will think of other things to do as well.

Perhaps not buying AFL Membership would be a start. TWSNBN will never be remembered.

Robbo continues his unprofessional rant upholding the innocence of his darling Bummers despite the highest court in sports doping finding otherwise.  He even goes on to say the if it had been heard in English and not German they would have been cleared!   

I was going to ask "what is this guy on" but I guess we all have our own opinions....maybe he is just demented and deluded??

Will James Hird appeal the appeal?

Edited October 11, 20168 yr by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Ess statement tonight still says it was an injustice

Sorry, "manifestly unfair"

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Somewhat contradicting my previous statement, whilst I don't want to feel sympathetic to the EFC, my feeling is that the whole process was botched and mishandled by all parties including the AFP, the AFL, ASADA and WADA.

I can't see any club ever self reporting and cooperating in the same wat the Bombers players did again.  And where are the charges against Steven Dank ...or are those yet to come?  I do wonder if there has been civil or criminal charges considered against him.

That all said, I did watch a fairly convincing story from one of the investigative journalism programs (I think it was 4 corners) that layed out a pretty compelling case that many of the big players in the elite sports and athletics world are gaming the system with performance enhancing drugs by staying half a step ahead of the list of banned and detectable drugs, which did smell exactly like what Essendon were doing.

Heres a question.

Cotchin and mitchell. Could they sue for lost earnings? Winning a brownlow would surely have a contract bonus for a start not to mention the next contract and sponsorship. Could probably fairly easily be out of pocket half a mil if you say winning a brownlow is worth an extra 100k a year on a new contract....

Meanwhile, the Cronulla Sharks are celebrating their first ever premiership.

Colin Little is a dill who believed in his own powers just a tad too much.

  On 11/10/2016 at 12:39, biggestred said:

Heres a question.

Cotchin and mitchell. Could they sue for lost earnings? Winning a brownlow would surely have a contract bonus for a start not to mention the next contract and sponsorship. Could probably fairly easily be out of pocket half a mil if you say winning a brownlow is worth an extra 100k a year on a new contract....

There's also numerous votes that should be going to other players in replacement of the ones Watson was given. 2012 was a close year for the Brownlow, the winner may not have necessarily been Mitchell and Cotchin. 

There's no other option after today's verdict, Watson must give the Brownlow back or made to by the AFL. 

  On 11/10/2016 at 13:15, Ethan Tremblay said:

There's also numerous votes that should be going to other players in replacement of the ones Watson was given. 2012 was a close year for the Brownlow, the winner may not have necessarily been Mitchell and Cotchin. 

There's no other option after today's verdict, Watson must give the Brownlow back or made to by the AFL. 

I view it in the same way a player who gets a 1 week ban would miss out. You dont re do the votes because they got suspended in round 22

They are drug cheats. Fact.

  On 11/10/2016 at 12:35, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

And where are the charges against Steven Dank ...

He's basically been banned from all sport.

To be honest once James Hird imploded I lost interest.

The players have served their bans, the club has been bashed to death, as long as Jab Watson looses his brownlow I'm happy to move on

 

 

Next stop : European court of human rights.

Essendon Football Club. A disgrace to the sport.

Time to move on

A must read today is this propaganda piece from Robbo in the HUN - Dilemma for AFL but Jobe must keep medal

Lots of errors, cringeworthy and completely lacking in any logic. The must create a dilemma for those who run the newspaper - how on earth did he get the gig as chief football writer?

No logically way he can keep the medal,

The Brownlow is awarded to the FAIREST and best player in 2012, the same year Jobe now has been found guilty of cheating. it's disgusting that there is even a conversation about this. 

The AFL needs to realise they can't play both sides, by looking after EFC the way they have they're making themselves looks corrupt as all hell very publicly and losing favour with the other 17 clubs who didn't cheat. 

Watson has been found by the Court of Arbitration in Sport to have used a performance enhancing drug during the season in which he won his Brownlow. How is it possible for him to keep it? 

  On 11/10/2016 at 12:35, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

Somewhat contradicting my previous statement, whilst I don't want to feel sympathetic to the EFC, my feeling is that the whole process was botched and mishandled by all parties including the AFP, the AFL, ASADA and WADA.

I can't see any club ever self reporting and cooperating in the same wat the Bombers players did again.  And where are the charges against Steven Dank ...or are those yet to come?  I do wonder if there has been civil or criminal charges considered against him.

That all said, I did watch a fairly convincing story from one of the investigative journalism programs (I think it was 4 corners) that layed out a pretty compelling case that many of the big players in the elite sports and athletics world are gaming the system with performance enhancing drugs by staying half a step ahead of the list of banned and detectable drugs, which did smell exactly like what Essendon were doing.

The fact no one from Essendon has sued Dank should tell you all you need to know.

  On 11/10/2016 at 20:03, Whispering_Jack said:

Watson has been found by the Court of Arbitration in Sport to have used a performance enhancing drug during the season in which he won his Brownlow. How is it possible for him to keep it? 

It's not, but the AFL seem to be behaving like petulant children unwilling to accept the decision so anything is possible to spite WADA/ASADA giving them pick 1 in itself is a joke

  On 11/10/2016 at 19:48, The Third Eye said:

A must read today is this propaganda piece from Robbo in the HUN - Dilemma for AFL but Jobe must keep medal

Lots of errors, cringeworthy and completely lacking in any logic. The must create a dilemma for those who run the newspaper - how on earth did he get the gig as chief football writer?

Law graduate Chris Kaias responds to some of Robbo's "arguments" on Twitter -

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CufL2mkUIAA5j7i.jpg:large

 

So Essendon consider this "manifestly unfair". No contrition exhibited there! They obviously have no qualms about 'bringing the game into disrepute'.

  On 11/10/2016 at 20:42, TRIGON said:

So Essendon consider this "manifestly unfair". No contrition exhibited there! They obviously have no qualms about 'bringing the game into disrepute'.

Maybe they should take it up with Dank?