Dane Swan admits to taking drugs, sets record straight over off-field rumours

EXCLUSIVE: DANE Swan has admitted to taking illicit drugs at stages of his AFL career with Collingwood, as recently retired Magpie star sets the record straight on rumours about his life off the field.

DANE Swan has admitted taking illicit drugs at stages of his AFL career with Collingwood.

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Herald Sun, to coincide with the release of his autobiography, the recently retired Magpie star wanted to set the record straight on rumours about his life off the field.

“You show me someone who doesn’t know someone who has experimented or tried social drugs, and I will show you a liar,” Swan said.

BOOK EXTRACT: I wanted Mick Malthouse to stay on

“I have experimented with what some people call recreational drugs, but have never taken performance-enhancing drugs or what you might call ‘heavy’ drugs.”

The 32-year-old dismissed social media speculation he had ever had a drug problem; revealed he had never tested positive or received a strike under the AFL illicit drugs policy; said it would be naive to think some AFL footballers don’t use drugs, but insisted the percentages would be significantly less than for similar-aged males from the rest of the community.

Retired AFL player Dane Swan. Picture: Alex Coppel.

“I also have never received a strike against my name in 15 years of AFL football,” he said.

“Not one positive test under the AFL’s illicit drugs policy, which, given the amount of times I was tested, proves that drugs have never been an issue through my career, despite what some people have implied.

“I am not promoting it, or encouraging it, or glorifying it ... of course I have tried drugs, but it doesn’t mean that I have a habit or a problem, it doesn’t mean that I do it every single weekend or to the extent that people have speculated about it.”

He was reluctant to reveal details, but said of the alleged drug use at Collingwood: “I know my club, it was a very small amount.”

Swan said he supported the AFL’s current illicit drugs policy, but remains angry that details of confidential hair-testing were leaked in March, with the Magpies publicly named as a club with a high heading.

If that happened again, he said the AFL Players Association should walk away from the code as a protest.

“I am not a doctor, but the AFL employs doctors for a reason and they know what they are talking about,” he said.

Swan is annoyed confidential tests were released earlier this year. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

“I have no problem with the testing, but if people or clubs are going to get named and shamed, we shouldn’t have it.

“Unless they can guarantee confidentiality 100 per cent, then what’s the point of having it.

“I can’t speak for other players, but I would be staggered if any elite sport was worse than what it is like for rest of society.

Detail from the cover of Swan’s new book

Dane Swan is looking back at his career.

“I’d be shocked if there was a big (drugs) problem in the AFL.

“It all comes back to education. It doesn’t matter whether you are the prime minister, an AFL player or just a local tradie, you have to make your own decisions in life.

“It is up to the individual how they want to operate, all you can do is make sure there is plenty of education for the young blokes, so they know the risks associated.”

He never worried about the constant rumours about him, saying the only time it concerned him was when his parents were affected by the stories.

“I could laugh about it, but when there are articles about you, and stuff on social media, and you see your mum is crying, that’s when it can annoy you,” he said.

In the book, he explained how the culture of going out to parties in the wider community had changed: “Back when I started playing AFL footy, if you walked into a house party and saw cocaine or an ecstasy tablet, you would be shocked. Now, if you go to a house party and see people using cocaine, it doesn’t raise an eyebrow.”

Collingwood footballers Dale Thomas, Dane Swan, Nick Maxwell, Travis Cloke and Nathan Buckley drinking at the races.

Swan also detailed how he managed his drinking benders throughout his stellar AFL career, but said he didn’t regret having a life outside of the game. He said he used to go out and drink on Thursday nights and sometimes Friday nights before some of his early games in the VFL side, but planned his drinking sessions better as he got older and started playing AFL.

And he detailed how close he came to the sack in 2003 after being caught up in an off-field incident, as well as the fallout from his two-week suspension in 2012 after fronting up to a training session worse for wear.

Collingwood's Dane Swan outside his home after being suspended by the club for a fortnight for being out late past the club curfew drinking.

“I don’t regret anything; I did it my way,” he said. “I like to think that all my relationships at the club were great and still are great.”

“I got the most out of my life. Did I get the most out of my footy? Probably not, but going out with my mates was the release I needed. I didn’t want to miss out on any of that.

“I was still performing in games, that was the most important thing.”

He laughs now when thinks back to how he turned up to his first training session with Collingwood “hung over” following a week at “schoolies” after the 2001 draft.

“You only get to finish school once, and you have to plan for it a long way out,” he said.

“The draft was on the Sunday, they wanted me to come back on the Monday. I came home on the Friday night. It was a Saturday session at Olympic Park. They had me running around the track. I was pretty hung over.”

BOOK EXTRACT: I wanted Mick Malthouse to stay on