Staggering detail of AFL star’s cocaine accusation emerges

Further details have emerged in the shock cocaine trafficking accusations made against Melbourne Demons star Joel Smith.

Smith devastated after the Demons were knocked out of the 2023 finals. Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Joel Smith was in possession of cocaine on the same day he ran out for the Demons in a sudden death finals series loss, according to a Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) accusation.

The bombshell accusations made by SIA rocked the AFL on Tuesday night with three further Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) being asserted against Smith for “Trafficking or Attempted Trafficking” of cocaine to third-parties.

The SIA drug probe into the Melbourne player remains ongoing after he was named by the AFL in October 2023 as a player who had been found to have cocaine and benzoylecgonine – the drug’s major substance – in his system, which is prohibited under the Australian football anti-doping code.

The urine sample was collected after the Demons’ round 23 win over Hawthorn on August 20, 2023.

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The new accusations, reportedly made as a result of text messages uncovered by SIA officials, are centred around September, 2022, during the Demons’ finals campaign.

As reported by the Herald Sun, one of the alleged messages sent to teammates last year reportedly involved offering a quantity of the drug.

The AFL released a statement on Tuesday night stating one of the three ADRVs relates to a violation on September 9, 2022 — the day the Demons were eliminated from the 2022 AFL semi-finals.

Smith in action for the Demons. Photo by Michael Klein.

It is also one day before Smith played in Casey’s VFL preliminary final victory.

It is also nine days before Casey, the Demons’ reserve grade connection, won the VFL grand final.

September 9 was the day the Demons were beaten by the Brisbane Lions at the MCG and were eliminated from the AFL finals after going out in straight sets, despite finishing second on the ladder.

Smith was provisionally stood down by the club immediately after it was made aware of the SIA investigation.

Smith devastated after the Demons were knocked out of the 2023 finals. Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

The new ADRVs are in addition to the violations previously alleged against the 27-year-old.

The Australian Football Anti-Doping Code states trafficking in an anti-doping context is relevantly defined to be “Selling, giving, transporting, sending, delivering or distributing a Prohibited Substance, by an Athlete … to any third party [but] shall not include actions involving Prohibited Substances which are not prohibited in Out-of-Competition Testing unless the circumstances as a whole demonstrate such Prohibited Substances are not intended for genuine and legal therapeutic purposes or are intended to enhance sport performance” (Article 1 of the Code).

The AFL statement added: “Smith will continue to be provisionally suspended pending the finalisation of all of these matters, meaning he is not permitted to be part of Melbourne’s football program, including Melbourne’s pre-season training that is currently underway.

“Under the Code, the new asserted ADRVs will be further investigated by SIA and these matters may ultimately be heard by an AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal in the coming months.

“Due to the ongoing nature of the anti-doping process, the AFL and SIA are unable to make any further comment at this time.”

Smith is not facing any criminal charges.

The Demons also released a statement on Tuesday night, revealing it had been advised of the violations asserted against Smith by SIA but “is not authorised to make public comment while this is an ongoing matter that is being investigated by Sport Integrity Australia”.

Smith has played 42 matches for the Demons since being picked up with the 41st pick of the 2016 rookie draft.

It’s not what the Demons would have wanted to see after an off-season plagued by controversy surrounding Clayton Oliver, while the club’s culture has landed in the spotlight.

At the end of last season, coach Simon Goodwin and CEO Gary Pert hit back at the questions, asserting the issues surrounding Oliver and Smith were “isolated incidents”.

“We haven’t got a cultural problem – we’ve got some isolated incidents that we’re going to deal with to help drive our culture forward,” Goodwin said.

“Without a good, strong culture … you can’t have success. It’s never going to be perfect. It’s always ongoing.”

Pert also claimed: “Our culture at the club, men’s and women’s programs, is the best I’ve seen in 40 years.”