The AFL's handling of the Essendon supplement's saga stinks, says Mark Robinson

IS there one person at the AFL who believes the Essendon saga has been handled fairly or transparently, asks Mark Robinson.

THIS stinks anyway you look at it.

Seriously, is there one person at the AFL or on the AFL Commission who believes the entire Essendon supplements saga has been handled appropriately, fairly and transparently?

The football public deserves more.

Sadly, they won’t get it.

On Wednesday, the final pillar of the Essendon’s drugs scandal came tumbling down, not by the hand of the AFL, but by the hand of a 68-year-old doctor called Bruce Reid who had the courage and fortitude to stand up for justice.

The day before Reid was due back in the Supreme Court, the AFL dropped all 38 charges against him for his role in the supplements scandal.

Convenient does not adequately describe the situation.

Essendon's 2013 season report card

Without an explanation from the AFL, we can only assume they didn’t want to be in court. You know, all those testimonies about tip offs would be aired and witnesses would be called. As leading QC Julian Burnside said last month: "I suspect that’s something the AFL is not keen to have explored.’’

Scandal, too, might not be the right word.

For how can it be a scandal when the person who approved the use of AOD-9604, which is banned by the world anti-doping body, and allowed it to be administered, among other exotic drugs, to players who were to receive 1500 injections, is given a pardon by the AFL?

By exonerating Reid, they’re saying his conduct, as chief medical officer of the club found guilty of the biggest crime in the game’s history, is not worthy of punishment.

James Hird

They’re saying his use AOD-9604 and multitude of injections is OK.

Meanwhile, the coach James Hird, who never saw one player injected, head of football Danny Corcoran, who wasn’t there for three months because his wife died, and assistant coach Mark Thompson, who tried to the stop the injection program, were hung from the nearest tree.

How could those three know more about what was going on than the Doc?

It doesn’t make sense.

It’s punishment by selection and only when Reid took the AFL to the steps of the Supreme Court did the AFL back down.

Bombers could still face infraction notices

If only Essendon had as much courage as its wily doctor.

So, the Bombers were punished for governance issues and the lack of duty of care for its players.

Who punishes the AFL for this governance issues?

At no stage has Essendon or any of its employees told their side other story. The two-day ‘’hearing’’ leading up to the charges being laid on August 27 was not a hearing at all. It was two-day assignment to get Essendon to agree to the penalties.

Bruce Reid

Hird succumbed in the end because his chairman Paul Little asked him to for the good of the club. Only five days earlier, the other 17 club presidents asked Little to do the same for the good of the competition.

Surely, those same club presidents, who beat their chests about the integrity of the competition, must be curious as to why Reid was exonerated yesterday.

For God’s sake, the AFL suspended the coach for 12 months and the doctor got off. Hello? Eddie? Anyone of influence? The question has to be asked: Was this a whitewash?

And what happened to the open hearings the football public was promised after the Kurt Tippett fiasco, which was never properly explained.

On December 12, 2012, Demetrou said: ‘’We have nothing to hide. I believe we’ll have open inquiries in the future.’’

He forget to add, ‘’unless our conduct might be called into question.’’

Reid had nothing to hide leading up to yesterday’s decision, but the same can’t be said of the AFL.

Danny Corcoran

Clearly, there were unforgivable mistakes made at the club and the club should’ve penalised.

The selection process for penalties for individuals, however, is mind-boggling.

Hird, Corcoran and Thompson were delighted for Reid yesterday, but at the same time, all three are furious.

They are furious they have been left to carry the can for the governance issues and for placing the health of the players at risk.

They are furious with the former high performance unit of Dean Robinson and Stephen Dank.

They are furious their football club did a deal with the AFL.

They are furious weren’t able to tell their side of the story.

And, most of all, are furious with themselves for not standing up for justice as Doc Reid did.

Wednesday’s decision to drop charges against Reid flies in the faces of AFL commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick and AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou who, on August 27, spoke of the disturbing findings at Essendon.

"I note,’’ Fitzpatrick said, "that the outcome reached today, in addition to the support last week from the 17 other AFL clubs and also the AFL Players’ Association, is a powerful and enduring affirmation that no single club and no individual is above our great game.’’

All power to you, Doc Reid.