AFL players ask 8 key questions

24 May 2007 - Jason Murnane

AFL Players' Association representatives including President Joel Bowden, Vice-President Brett Burton, Executive Committee Member Adam Goodes and leading players James Hird and Luke Darcy joined AFLPA Chief Executive Officer Brendon Gale in posing the eight questions on behalf of all AFL players.

Commenting on the issue, AFLPA President Joel Bowden said, "For some time now, AFL players have continually been justifying the AFL's Illicit Drugs Policy.  Let me say from the outset that use of Illicit Drugs is abhorrent and should be avoided.  Full stop.  Our player representatives weren't invited to Friday's important meeting between the Federal Government and AFL.  However, as the group most directly affected by any meeting outcome, we feel it vital that we be given the opportunity to ask a number of questions to those critics within the Federal Government to ensure our position and voice can be understood."

So on behalf of the AFL player group, we ask the following questions of our critics:    

1. As AFL players we are the only group of sportsmen that have volunteered to subject ourselves to out of competition testing for illicit drugs - why do the Government Ministers criticise us for expanding their fight against illicit drugs? 

2. Would the Government Ministers prefer that we withdrew support for the AFL policy and simply agreed to no testing out of competition - the same arrangement which applies to the cyclists, cricketers, swimmers, athletes and soccer players?

3. Will the Government Ministers be requiring all politicians and senior public servants to submit themselves to random illicit drug testing with persons being subject to termination on testing positive at any time?

4. Will the Government Ministers provide the AFL at their meeting with objective evidence and expert opinion which supports the position they have taken in criticising the structure and operation of the AFL policy?

5. Are the Government Ministers suggesting that rehabilitation does not work and that the public funds spent in this area are a waste of taxpayer money?

6. Given the AFL Policy is consistent with principles enshrined in Government and justice system approaches to drug use, how is the AFL "out of step" with public expectations?

7. If AFL is "soft on drugs" - how do the Government Ministers characterise the approach taken by cricket, cycling, soccer, athletics, netball, rugby union, basketball, hockey and rowing (amongst others) who do not even test their athletes for use of illicit drugs except on the day of competition?

8. Will the Government Ministers be calling upon all sports to adopt rules which require their athletes to be tested and punished for illicit drug use all year round?

AFL Players' Association Chief Executive Officer Brendon Gale said, "As the representative body of over 700 young AFL players, we don't have our head in the sand over issues facing players.  We're at the coalface, dealing with these issues every day.  

In partnership with the AFL and clubs, we are entrusted to protect and maintain the welfare of these young men.   We take this responsibility tremendously seriously. 

It would have been far easier for players to follow all other competitive sports in Australia (bar the NRL) and simply remain party to the AFL's WADA complaint testing program for performance enhancing drugs. 

But players saw an opportunity to do something constructive and advised by experts, voluntarily agreed to become part of a testing regime for Illicit Drugs.  Based on the proven pillars of rehabilitation and counselling this regime goes above and beyond that of most other competitive sports.  

Our view and it's a view shared by experts, is that the AFL Illicit Drugs Policy is world's best practice in helping ending Illicit Drug use in the long term.  Indeed the policy mirrors the successful "Illicit Drugs Diversion Initiative" which has been subscribed to by governments and police forces across Australia, and has seen drug users diverted away from the criminal justice system and into the drug treatment system.

Experts tell us that the rhetoric of a "just say no" or "zero tolerance" approach only serves to provide a brief and surface level of satisfaction.  We are more focused on what works.  Our responsibility to players' welfare does not end when the "media caravan" moves on to the next big issue in football.  We stand by and are proud of players' commitment to this Illicit Drugs Policy."  

Joel Bowden & James Hird joined fellow senior AFL Players Brett Burton, Adam Goodes, Luke Darcy & Jonathan Brown to pose 8 questions to Federal Government critics of the AFL's IDP

	AFLPA Illicit Drugs Policy Slides 129kb  What the experts are saying about the AFL's IDP 120kb