Bombers accused of asking Mick Gatto to help fix doping mess
UPDATE: THE father of a former Essendon team manager claims he met a senior Bombers official at a cafe and was asked to arrange a meeting with Mick Gatto at the doping scandal’s height.
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THE father of former Essendon team manager John Elliott says he met a senior Bombers official at a cafe where he was asked to arrange a meeting with Mick Gatto in late 2014.
The Bombers are fighting damning allegations from dual Bombers premiership hero Dean Wallis and ex-team services manager Mr Elliott that club bosses reached out to underworld enforcer Gatto, removed injections regimen emails, and covered up cocaine use, sexual harassment and fraud.
In response, Essendon chairman Lindsay Tanner said last night: “Two disgruntled ex-employees have made a number of false and unsubstantiated allegations against the club. For example, allegations of ... dealings with Mick Gatto are false.”
Victoria Police today confirmed they are investigating “following a report of a blackmail matter”.
“As this investigation is ongoing, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time,” a spokeswoman said.
Gatto called a press conference in Lygon St today, but refused to answer any questions on the claims, saying he would appear on a television show tonight.
“All I can say is two things, be watching tonight and you’ll hear all about it,” he said.
“The second thing is I really have no comment to make and I can’t at this stage.”
He said he called the press conference to get reporters away from his home.
“There’ll be a scoop tonight. Be watching,” he said.
“You’re not going to draw me into it.”
Asked if it was a paid interview, Gatto replied: “No. It’s not”
John Elliott Sr told the H erald Sun this morning that he met the Bombers heavyweight at the A Delicious Afare Cafe in Napier St, Strathmore.
He said a third party could verify the meeting took place.
“He asked me to organise a meeting with Mick Gatto if I could,’’ Mr Elliot Sr says.
“I said I would make a phone call and would get back to him. I spoke to Mick Gatto and he said ‘I’m happy to help’.
“I organised a meeting within three days but the Essendon official pulled out due to another commitment. A week went by, and I spoke to the official, and he was umming and ahhing. So I rang Mick Gatto and told him ‘The meeting won’t go ahead this week’.
“I spoke to the official again and he eventually said that he did not wish to proceed with the meeting and that was the end of it. I don’t know what happened after that.”
Mr Elliott Jr had alleged in a signed statement seen by the Herald Sun, that: “In November 2014 I was asked to set up a meeting off-site with Mr Mick Gatto, who was an external well-known dispute resolution specialist.
“The purpose of the meeting was in regard to obtaining information from Mr Shane Charter, who was a supplier to Mr Stephen Dank.’’
Responding to claims of threats and inappropriate demands, Mr Elliott Jr said this afternoon: “I want it to be very clear that I have only ever sought a reasonable settlement for the termination of my employment by the club and for my WorkCover claim which is now progressed to formal conciliation.
“I also want it to be made very clear that I have not been paid by the Herald Sun or anyone else.”
EX-ESSENDON BOSSES COVERED UP ALLEGED HEALTHCARE REBATE FRAUD, TWO FORMER STAFF MEMBERS CLAIM
HERALD SUN, FEBRUARY 23: SECRET DONS TAPE, CRISIS MEETING RECORDING EMERGES
Charter was a key witness in the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority’s case against the Essendon 34, but at the last minute decided not to give evidence to the AFL anti-doping tribunal.
When contacted yesterday, Gatto said: “I can’t help you mate.”
In other allegations, Mr Wallis, a former Dons assistant coach and team services and logistics manager, claims in his statement: “I have been scapegoated in relation to the supplement program, while others at the club have been covering up the use of cocaine, sexual harassment and fraudulent behaviour.”
Mr Elliott claims in his statement that his personal workplace email was accessed without his knowledge weeks after ASADA began its investigation of Essendon’s supplements regimen, and correspondence was removed.
And Mr Elliott says that he witnessed club staff “self-injecting” drugs at Windy Hill in January 2012.
The allegations are detailed in formal statements made by the pair to an insurance company assessing their claims for compensation due to stress and anxiety caused by the club.
Mr Elliott, who was made redundant by the Dons in November 2016 after seven years with the club, says: “In January 2012, I suffered stress as a result of witnessing staff … self-injecting, and Mr Stephen Dank, a club pharmacologist, injecting staff and players.”
Mr Elliott said: “This was not a normal regime ... The issue was then reported to (name removed for legal reasons). Feedback was that management could not terminate Mr Dank because of the cost of breaking his contract. This made me feel stressed and worried for the players’ wellbeing.”
He also claims an invoice of $68,000 from Hypermed in South Yarra for amino acid injections and the use of the hyperbaric chamber was mistakenly sent to his father, who shares his name.
The invoice had been put in his name without his knowledge, he says.
Regarding the disappearing emails, Mr Elliott asserts: “Approximately three weeks after the investigation commenced, my personal workplace email was accessed by an unknown person/s and any relevant emails to the investigation were deleted from my email account.
“Any documents on the system that were relevant to the investigation were deleted and all of the hard copy invoices relevant to the $68,000 debt were taken from my desk.”
Essendon have hit back strongly over the claims, with Mr Tanner saying last night: “Inappropriate demands and threats made upon Essendon Football Club have been reported to the AFL Integrity Department and on its advice, Victoria Police have been contacted.
“The workers compensation claims made by both former employees have been rejected by WorkCover.”
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HERALD SUN February 23: SECRET DONS TAPE, CRISIS MEETING RECORDING EMERGES
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