BREAKING: Essendon Football Club Found Guilty Over 2012 Doping Scandal
After almost 3 years, The Essendon Football Club have officially been found guilty of taking performance enhancing substances.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) this morning handed down their ruling of The World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) appeal, reaching the final decision that Bombers players were administered illicit substances as a part of their ‘cutting edge’ supplements program in 2012.
The players have been suspended for the entire 2016 season.
WADA’s appeal was lodged back in May, 2015 after the AFL anti-doping tribunal cleared 34 past and present Essendon players of any wrongdoing regarding the club’s supplements program. WADA’s appeal was an attempt uncover new evidence of Essendon using prohibited substance, Thymosin beta-4 during the 2012 season.
Essendon’s current list includes 12 players from the 2012 season, with several former teammates now playing for other AFL clubs. Last week, they received clearance to begin selection for top-up players so that they could prepare for the worst-case-scenario AKA the situation that they are now facing.
In what has clearly been one of the biggest clusterfucks in Australian sporting history, the saga has thrown the game into disrepute and has seen the demise of club legends including former captain and coach, James Hird.
Inevitably taking its toll on the club’s players and staff, the decision leaves the door open for the saga to continue.
Update:
The Essendon Football Club, The CAS & James Hird have all recently released statements regarding the decision.
Former Essendon coach James Hird has released this statement regarding proceedings… pic.twitter.com/SaC9QMdza4
— FOX SPORTS News (@FOXSportsNews) January 11, 2016