Jobe Watson is a man of integrity and handing back Brownlow won’t define him, Adam Cooney writes

JOBE Watson’s decision to hand back his Brownlow Medal was selfless and devastating but the Brownlow shouldn’t and won’t define who Jobe Watson is, Adam Cooney writes.

I HAD only been at Essendon for a couple of months when the first verdict of not guilty was handed down to the Essendon 34 players that participated in the now infamous supplements program.

To say it was a huge relief for everyone involved is an understatement and that afternoon we had a couple of beers to celebrate with each other as we had the next day off.

The following morning we rolled back into the club, ready to begin with a clean slate. We had a meeting with CEO Xavier Campbell, Hirdy spoke after that, then Jobe stood up and addressed the group with one of the most emotional and inspiring speeches I’ve ever heard.

He spoke of the toll it had taken on him and his family, how this period of his life would not define him as a person and nor should it for his teammates.

Jobe Watson fronts the media after the Essendon 34 were originally found not guilty. Picture: Stuart Walmsley.

He spoke of the values he and his family hold but the one thing I’ll never forget was how important it was to him that his name and his legacy remained clean.

Jobe’s character is of the highest order, with integrity that is rare.

But the killer blow was dealt in January 2016, the day of the CAS appeal verdict.

We trained as normal — minus the 12 players who were all together at a separate location.

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WATSON’S STATEMENT: READ IT IN FULL

Training was quiet that morning as everyone was on edge thinking about what was to come.

We got off the track and assembled upstairs and waited again. Xavier Campbell entered the room and didn’t have to say a word, the look on his face said it all.

“It’s not good news boys, they’ve been given two years,” he said.

Everyone was angry. We were swearing, some were crying. I was in shock. I couldn’t actually believe it was happening.

Jobe Watson and Adam Cooney at an Essendon recovery session during the only season they played together at the Bombers. Picture: Michael Klein

I had spoken to a couple of the boys the night before who said to me that it wasn’t sounding good but I think at worst, they were expecting a reduced ban that would be backdated and meant they wouldn’t miss any footy.

I felt so sorry for the boys but I also felt for the guys like Craig Bird and Matt Leuenberger as they had just arrived at the club and had been thrown in the deep end.

Later that evening as I was reflecting, I realised when I was selfishly thinking about my own future, the dream of playing in a premiership was also over as I knew that 2016 would be my last year playing AFL.

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I only played with Jobe for 12 months and it was under extremely stressful circumstances for him.

He was the captain of the club going into its third year of this unfortunate saga.

He bore the brunt of it the whole time, but always put others before him. He supported the other players when they needed it, read all the transcripts to gather information for players and had numerous meetings with figureheads.

If a player needed or wanted information, Jobe Watson was always there for them, always putting them before himself.

That’s why I wasn’t surprised when he handed the medal back to the AFL on Friday.

He said the basic principle behind this prestigious award is to honour the fairest and best. If there is a question in people’s minds as to whether the award is tainted, the fairest and best thing to do is to give it back and honour history.

This speaks volumes about Jobe’s character, although he firmly believes he did not cheat and his decision to hand back his Brownlow is a selfless but devastating thing for him to do.

The Brownlow is the game’s most prestigious individual award and one that I was lucky enough to win and I will cherish for the rest of my life.

If, by some stroke of misfortune like the AFL miscounted the votes in 2008 and I wasn’t the fair winner for the year I would make the AFL chase me down and rip it off my neck before I gave it back.

Jobe Watson is a man of integrity and this shouldn’t define him, Adam Cooney writes. Picture: Colleen Petch

It would be shattering for that to happen. I think the only way I would hand back my Brownlow was if Simon black (who finished runner up to me on the night) agreed to hand the medal over to Matthew Richardson who would’ve been a popular and deserving winner!

And Simon has enough in his trophy/medal cabinet at home so it’s only fair that he should share.

In my opinion though, the Brownlow should not and will not define who Jobe Watson is. He’s too good a person to let it define him and I sincerely hope he can find some peace with it all and play some great football for the remainder of his career.

The AFL Commission has a huge decision on their hands — whether to strip Jobe of his medal officially and wipe his name from the books and then do they announce Trent Cotchin and Sam Mitchell as Brownlow Medallists?

Adam Cooney won the Brownlow Medal in 2008.

My original thought was yes, they were the next in line for the fairest and best players in the league.

But will the AFL detract all votes from teams that played against Essendon that year or do you leave it as is? It’s a lot to work through and a disgrace that this whole situation has dragged on for as long as it has.

It’s a messy situation for all involved, whatever the outcome.

Jobe Watson has not deserved any of this and I hope one day he can move forward and be happy because he deserves that more than anyone.