Former AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou: Our drugs testing model saved players

Andrew Demetriou has warned league officials that scrapping or revising the illicit drugs policy would be detrimental to the health of the competition’s players, saying the policy has done a world of good.

Former AFL chief Andrew Demetriou has backed his administration’s handling of the drugs policy. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Former AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has warned league officials that scrapping or revising the illicit drugs policy would be detrimental to the health of the competition’s players.

However he believes there needs to be more clarity surrounding the secret testing processes, with key officials at clubs claiming they have been unaware of the testing taking place.

Federal MP Andrew Wilkie detailed the stunning revelations that players who confessed to drug use in the days before an AFL match were given secret tests to ensure their systems were clear, or were advised to fake an injury if results came back positive.

On Thursday Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell said he wanted to be notified when a player had tested positive and would be removed from a match day team, rather than be out with a fake injury, while multiple other coaches have confirmed they have been unaware of the hidden processes.

Demetriou said on SEN the policy needed to remain as a welfare model, however questioned why senior club officials had not been made aware of the testing in the past.

“It is purely a welfare model, it is not a punitive model. It’s not there to catch gotcha moments, to somehow rid the system of people taking illicit drugs,” he said.

“There are several players over the years that I am aware of that have been rehabilitated, who have been treated for illnesses that are completely unknown to many people, and have come out the other end much better for the experience. And that could only have happened with the welfare model.

“It’s not unusual for the CEO or the coach not to be aware of a player who is having an issue, there are other medical issues that transpire that only the doctor and the player are privy to.

Former AFL chief Andrew Demetriou has backed his administration’s handling of the drugs policy. Picture: Nicole Garmston

“I think it is a fair comment to say: why aren’t the CEOs and the coaches aware of this clinical intervention and diversion of testing?”

The stunning revelations forced current CEO Andrew Dillon to staunchly defend the policy, and said he was “unapologetic” that club doctors took precautions to avoid players competing with illicit drugs still in their system.

Demetriou, who was the AFL CEO from late 2003 until the end of the 2014 season, defended the league’s policy that was implemented under his regime in 2005 but said that the policy was “still misunderstood by a lot of people”.

“Maybe it wasn’t made as aware as clearly as possible but it was always known that players, after receiving a first strike, they would be tested, whether that be urine test or hair testing regularly, and they’d be diverted into a program, particularly when they self-reported,” he said.

“A lot of people were shocked by the revelation. I was not as shocked by the revelation the other day, that’s what I understood the policy to be.

“I suspect there are lots of players over the years who have had clinical intervention and been diverted and missed games because they may have an issue and they’ve been helped medically.”

Gillon McLachlan, Andrew Dillon and Andrew Demetriou at Neil Mitchell’s farewell. Picture: David Crosling

Former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire forecasted significant changes to the policy ahead of the 2025 season, with a more punitive approach potentially introduced to prevent drug use.

But Demetriou warned the AFL would face issues if it were to rewrite the policy, which is voluntary for players.

“I would caution against being too punitive if it risks players walking away from the illicit drugs policy,” he said.

“It’s a voluntary policy that other sports don’t subject their players to.

“What we don’t want to see is the players walking away from this policy, because then we would never have testing and we would never be able to deal with health and welfare issues of players.

“That would be the worst possible outcome that could occur out of this situation.”