'It's too dangerous': Drug code set for big overhaul amid bombshell claims - Footy Classified 

Jimmy Bartel very quiet in this 😂

Eddie Maguire was the president of Collingwood through an era where his teams and players did whatever they wanted as long as they performed, listening to these talking heads be entirely hypocritical is borderline comedy.

Imagine if this type of scrutiny and interest from the public was applied to our MPs and the shitty legislation they pass through parliament.

"putting half of Columbia up your beak on a Saturday night" lmao Eddie

Yet we can glorify drinking alcohol and gambling... Cos they never ruin lives. Just get on with playing footy.

We all know that Jimmy if not for his footy talent would have been another standard grammar school real estate agent doing a couple bags a week 😂

I am so bored of hearing about drugs and concussion. We get it, lots of the players take recreational drugs and getting hit in the head repeatedly is dangerous.

If i use any illegal substance i lose my job no questions no second chances no if no buts. yet if i play for any AFL team i can use these drugs and still get paid large amounts of money without. Explain to me how that is fair?. stop protecting them and start setting an example to the community that this behavior will not be tolerated no matter what your name is

Jimmy very queit

Actually, the numbers don't add up. If you look at how many people have actually become full-blown problematic users we don't use the term addict anymore in the field that I work in. If you actually look at the numbers of people that have actually had a real problem from drugs it is very very minimal compared to mainstream society. So you can criticise the AFL for their policy however their policy has led to very low numbers of what we call problematic users that means people that actually use continually what we are saying is very simple in my view clubs, introduced skinfold test and hydration test into players in recovery sessions. So essentially when you come back to the recovery session the next day you are often skinfold tested and you are then also hydration tested. This is led to players not being able to consume very much alcohol. Probably only one drink and that's it and while on that might seem okay on the surface of it could you imagine being told you can only have one alcoholic drink and then that's it so what do you think they're going to do in response to that they want to go out and let their hair down because they are young men in the prime of their life. And please don't mention how much money they get paid, because at the end of the day lawyers and are paid much more and they are honestly doing more drugs than AFL footballers if we're going to start going down the line of drug testing then you need to drug test everyone including the coaches and people that run the game. There would be people at AFL House popping pills all the time I guarantee you because this is what happens in society if you're going to bring in mandated drug testing for all people in the AFL, then test everyone every single day. No I'm gonna back off on that because I actually don't think that is the right thing to do, but it does seem crazy that you're targeting a certain group of people. If you actually look at the numbers of how many people that have had a drug problem in the AFL, it is still incredibly low compared to mainstream society I would say gambling is a bigger issue in the AFL than what drugs are. There are players that have lost houses and families over their gambling addiction yet the AFL continues to gather sponsorship from gambling companies so doesn't really care. But as soon as the word drugs are mentioned, everyone goes into a tailspin we're not talking about people doing lines of stuff before games. We are talking about guys probably taking one line or doing one thing on a Saturday night to let their hair down. Maybe we just need to move the times decriminalisation in the drug world is coming and thankfully it should be here. I would even allow them to smoke a joint as well. They could chill out and relax and laugh like the rest of us, but we have this Draconian policy that we think that we need to have everyone squeaky clean, robot clean. I'm sorry, but the money is not as good as what you think it is given that the average career only last 3 1/2 years and most of those aren't on top money initially let's factor that in. The average AFL career is 3 1/2 years. What you will also say is that if people can't let off steam they will gravitate towards other things that provide relief and that will be gambling pornography and other things because unfortunately human beings that are squeezed and constantly under pressure need something for a release and I will do stuff I guarantee you that's human nature. If you ever work in the field that I've worked in, you will understand what pressure does to people and you might be fixing one problem, but I guarantee you you will be creating another. I still look at the numbers and the numbers say that the AFL does not actually have a huge stroke problem it might have it quite a few people dabbling every now and then to let us steam but it doesn't have a full blowin list of people who are using all the time that is just crazy, so you're reacting to one story again.

Adopt WADA policy, do random testing at any time of the year and if a player is caught then like the rest of the professional athletic world, that player is named and banned. Obviously said player has right to the appeals process. Why are AFL players so protected. This is my view and happy to be corrected if out of order here.

There should never be off the books drug tests by either club or the AFL. That is just a strategy to help players beat drugs tests. Utterly ridiculous to have the governing body complicit in helping players get away with it. Same as allowing players to escape consequences by self reporting when they know they are about to be exposed through a positive test. Nasty text messages to women however need to be tackled with gusto even though unlike illicit drugs they aren't actually illegal. The woke AFL has some strange priorities.

Adopt the US NFL & NBL policy, one positive test result .. career over.

This strengthens my suspicion of Lance Franklin, when he pulled out of AFL the week before the 2015 Finals series with " mental health" issues. I have always thought that was a cover-up...

Anyone/any other organisation that receives government funding and looks to publicly profit from their image should be held to a higher standard. The AFL receives millions in grants for upgrades and developments. Players are paid overs. Any higher standards and transparency is a must. The current policy doesn't pass the pub test or parent test. Human nature means any ambiguity or weaknesses will be gamed.

Heavy handed on the dramatic music...Can barely hear what they're saying.

All the AFL mouth pieces are working overtime. Eddie, Barrett and co running the company PR

Honestly, who cares if the players rack some lines. The game is absolutely stuffed.

Some players and media knows this. It's the public that needs to wake up. As for Dusty his secret hiding will come😅

This is yet another example of the AFL Media never being prepared to go far enough in questioning and calling to account the AFL on what is going on and why because the AFL determine their access, this is why there needs to be a seperate body responsible for accrediting sports media and not the sports themselves. We also need a full Royal Commission into all of Australian sport

who gives a damn if a player takes some drugs, as long as they can play.

Great views as always I love footy classified on Wednesday The thing I can't get my head around is. Players put in such a big effort to play with nutrition training etc Why would you then take drugs?

Just Another kick in the face , not the guts to the ordinary fan who loves and supports his team no matter what….. but this is probably a bridge too far for some….. this game is dying a slow death in front of us …. This and all the stupid rule changes has turned fans off big time ….. time to stop lying to the everyday fan and start telling everyone the truth before people desert this game in droves.

Done? Absolute crock. They're just gonna say it's overhauled but will make it even more secret. If they've not been transparent up until now, what makes you think they still will. They're just saying it's gonna be "all-season" just so people don't now look at sudden random "injuries" and suspect drug use which would be the common theme.

Not on the same level as the Essendon saga for one simple reason Mick - players are using drugs for recreational rather than performance enhancing reasons. If Billy Bob wants to smoke some cones on a Tuesday and still play on the Saturday more power to him - I can legally purchase CBD oil and take some to help with insomnia, but god forbid I am a professional sportsman - in that instance, for "integrity" reasons I guess I'll just have to suck it up. These are kids who suddenly come into good money in their early 20s and are not immune from wanting to enjoy their success or having a fun time. As long as they are not actively affected (which, unless they are racking lines right before the game almost certainly isn't the case), they shouldn't be viewed any differently than a lawyer or businessman enjoying their paycheck and nostrils. AFL and WADA need to face reality - prohibiting recreational substance use won't actually stop people using it - just means that people will develop strategies for evading detection.

Look how stage managed all the guilty parties answers are. This is a coverup and a disgrace. The AFL may as well let drug affected players drive to Dans self injecting room

Just ask Ben Cousins

For years the AFL has said that the number of AFL players who take drugs is far less than society. I would frame it another way. T he number of players who do take drugs is far higher than society for the population who get paid within their pay scale. And I would go further and have hair testing which would tell them if they took drugs in the last 6 months as a positive result. If players are wanting over half a Millions dollars for wages why cant they be professional enough and have a zero tolerence.for players.who thumb their nose at the sport. Why should the Members and Sponsors of clubs that pay with their hard earned money the players wages be disrespected by unprofessional players.

Drug testing for under 17s ?? .. These guys have lost the plot.

Independent means that. So much conflict of interest, even Eddie doing a brilliant I’m appalled but can’t whistle blow cause all in the industry. Guy can talk under water, not name drop anybody. I added this in comments: Kept a straight face 😐 n acting 🎭 was brilliant. Suttle way of we don’t like what you guys are doing/taking so we’ll “air it” to public put pressure on players. Eddie ur the best mate 😘

No wonder Gil scarpered off…..

Drug testing is useless. It's so easy to use drugs and still pass drug tests. It's inevitable, players are going to use drugs. All you can do is try and make it harder for them to do it without getting caught.

"Hear no evil see no evil. " .An future legal minefield for the AFL?

AFL has always been out of line with average Australians, support for the rejected voice is a prime example. How can you have a cover up program that aids the profits of organised crime indirectly? It’s terrible news for this game which is just going more corporate and soulless each year.

AFL... Catholic church... not much different tbh. All about brand protection, and nothing more. They don't care about players welfare.

bring back Doc Larkins, and every club doc for that matter for a deposition...

What drugs though? Weed shouldn't be looked at like coke or other stimulants. NFL, NBA don't test for weed anymore.

Voices of the people, saving the game when Essendon were hang, drawn and quartered. Nothing from Barrett or Wilson now though. Selective integrity.

Who cares if players wanna blow off steam with some blow. Its normal for people with money, get over it Nobody is saying kids or even anybody should do it, but its not for sports leagues to police anything other than PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS

There needs to be a complete clear out of AFL house. These are all ex footballers who are and always will be a part of the problem. Hire real business and governance specialists

Test for PEDs only, it's not the AFLs job to police players private behaviour that doesn't affect the integrity of the game.

This is such a basic thing to solve. If a player tests positive for drugs, he gets fiend and suspended. If the club try to keep it hush, they get fined $1 mill when it comes to light. Make it $5 mill then so they work think about doing it. Easy

I think it matters what the drug is. Obviously, positive tests for performance enhancing drugs should be reported, but something like weed is probably not an issue as far as reporting or suspension goes. If a player is on weed, that's an issue the club can deal with.

Bloody hell, they put players' mental health above everything. The whole Essendon Club out for a year, denied draft picks, and club completely destroyed for a decade as a competitive force. Careers, lives and the mental health of many players and staff wrecked, even though there were no positive tests to any banned substances. Found not guilty under ASADA, then the AFL brought in WADA to cover their arses. Still no proof but found guilty and suspended anyway. Caroline Wilson as the main media protagonist carried on like a dog gnawing at a bone to get the last morsel of raw meat out of the story. She must be pleased winning an nice award for the mantle at home at the expense of so many peoples' wellbeing. If they (The AFL) are serious about drugs in the sport, they need to go the FULL WADA route for testing AND reporting. Can't have rules for most but workarounds for others. These are highly paid professional sportspeople who sign contracts with specific no-drug-use clauses. Time for Caro to be as vocal about this saga as she was about Hird, Thompson, Watson and the Essendon Club.

comes down to... who knew what... and everyone's a liar...

AFL mandated an experimental vaccine for these players. Maybe they thought further experiments in drugs is not that big a deal.

Bartel's statement is one of complete deference, we ask the AFL what their policy... so, internal policies are irrelevant? The 'director' not knowing the specifics of an injury is either incompetence, or wilful ignorance of, don't tell me, I don't want to know, so I don't have to lie about it... not just Bartel, but think about the 'white house press secretary' among other political press positions... sometimes they are not told things, specifically, so they don't have to lie about it... difference here is, Bartel has to know, therefore does know, therefore, did, or could be put in the position to lie about it... goes for everyone else... how many footy trips and parties have a 'no phones' policy... I don't care if they are doing drugs, I just don't like the double standards of the esteem that players are held in if it is false...

Eddie says he went to a presidents meeting and brought up illicit drugs, and no one knew anything about it... that is, the definition of wilful ignorance, or a coverup... genuinely, playing dumb... isn't specifically a shock, but it is ridiculously, annoying, i want to say, for those super stars who were paraded around as role models, and received all manner of accolades and resultant sponsorships for their associated clubs... i'd prefer an open policy, doesn't specifically set a good example, however, it does set a realistic example for those of a similar age... does neglect young kids who watch it, not the greatest example, but, the image must be protected, not the integrity itself, just the appearance of such...

We've known about this for ages and Eddie was one of the ones as president who would cover for his players probably the most 🤷‍♂️ funny how he changes his tune depending on the day...

10:00 highlighting these is dumb, as stated, because there were police involvement, but considering the players go through constant testing, the clubs are fairly aware, of who could be next on the front page... these highlighted don't destigmatize it, it makes it worse because the whole concept is hush hush... once again, double standards with the community...

13:50 concussions are one thing, noted here about the drug use, and general alcohol use, either by itself, or compounded with concussions... is there clear evidence for CTE for concussion in players, and, this is the and, the exclusion or inclusion of drug and alcohol use, as determining factors as to the severity of the condition... concussions are bad, clearly, but, distinguishing this, which does include distinguishing blame as well... doc puts them off for 2 weeks post a concussion, do they have a drink, in any of that time, not that it can be proven...

Most players are kids in their 20s. Dumb mistakes are made all the time. Just saying

what about off season... shhhh, don't worry about it...

Hypocrites! They will ban a 19 yr old kid for smoking weed or doing a line of coke but advertise alcohol in the ad breaks. Turn it up!

8:28 think a gambler will accept this as a justification... or, can bets be refunded if such actions are taken... this does impact more than just an acknowledgement... and beyond that, if you're saying a player is out with a drugs exclusion, and the cops aren't involved, then the double standard is too evident to be waving such issues around... legalisation of drugs across the board would make more sense, as a country, therefore you can make that testing to say whether it's in the system or not at that point... masking drugs and others and what not tho, the legalities are the curious factor here, because you hear none of this...

what a joke. the AFL continually think they can fix tbe worlds issues. meanwhile the game is getting worse and more contrived. All they need to do is have a in competition policy and that is it. stay out of it.

What I want to know is if this is all patient confidentiality why they doing secret tests and the afl is covering it up. If its confidential how do the afl know or are there doctors breaking confidentiality by informing the league? This is just way too murky all around.

They kick balls between sticks eh? Shouldn’t we be testing the people that actually represent us in society

Can someone simply summarise whats going on because I have no clue 😅. Is it something to do with a loophole in the current policy?

The afl is slowly becoming a massive joke imo.

Could not care less if they take rec drugs, performance enhancing is a different story

Come back in 5 yrs for the findings 😂

Whats with the over dramatic music? 😂

Have a look at jimmy hahahhaha bloke loves it

Eddie loves the bags this guys outta control

White line fever 😂😂

Dane Beames????

NO professional setting in Australia would condone illegal drug use. Anyone in a regular job would lose their job if they were found to have taken illegal drugs. If you're gonna be a professional athlete who is in the spotlight, with industries depending on who plays, then you shouldn't EVER taken illegal drugs.

Simple Test every player before every games Not rocket science Players hav lots spare time AFL hav lots money Stop dancing around it

Sports bett8ng results are involved when players can fake injury and be last minute no shows. Betting corruption opportunity takes regulation jof this out of the hands of the AFL.

This should include politicians, magistrates, judges, police. Everyone !! Start testing now, something is wrong with them!

AFL is Teflon. Nothin ever ever sticks. They love the code so much and it runs Vic and they are so arrogant. Great game and love it, but wow my experience in Victoria for 5 years was surreal. Nothing will ever effect that game. Why did Buddy have so many games off…….!

McGuire has a combination of the Messiah complex and rampant narcissism. 'I did this, I led that, this was my idea'. Give me a break.

The 3 strikes policy is embarrassing and mickey mouse from the AFL. The only reason the AFL brought that in was because so many players use prohibited drugs. It needs to be if any player test positive for a banned drug, 4 year ban. Full stop. End of. If a lot of players get banned so be it. It will clean the game up.

They all have no idea...even if they are at the same parties...Sgt Schulz would be proud.

“It’s not worth it covering up for a few party boys acting the goat”. Eddie Maguire - March, 2024. Was he trying his hand at some satire there? Eddies memory of running Collingwood lawfully must include some epic works of fiction…

Just advise Player Name - Out - Code of Conduct. Provides public clarity that there is a sensitive private barrier being addressed (drug/alcohol, behavioural, lifestyle, sexual harassment, misconduct etc…) without the exposure to lead to unnecessary scrutiny. You can still put a timeline off weeks as guidelines to identify the seriousness and put accountability on the player to respond.

Look what you did to Ben Cousins, no happy what's so ever with his drug problem..

Yeah right Eddie. This bloke is so full of it. He is one of the biggest cover up and zero accountability merchants in this whole sport. A sport that is up to its eyeballs in problems atm. It’s all lip service.

Using mental illness as an excuse to take drugs is a cop out. Test everyone including coaches and game day staff weekly and if they’re tested positive, suspend or even ban them imo. If you can’t follow rules, you can’t play.

Young blokes getting paid ridiculous amounts of money with way too much time on their hands. What could possibly go wrong?

@4:05. It is important to note the use of the term 'illicit substance' to the censorship of 'performance enhancing'. If their is subversion of the rules here, is it likely there is such behavior is employed to beat anti-doping tests for PED?

Players and their parents should sue the AFL, class action, enabling drug abuse and causing drug addiction

There’s a concept of “misprision of a felony”, “concealment of a crime” or the equivalent in most jurisdictions. I don’t get the coverup of what is an illegal/criminal offence. I get the concept of patient confidentiality for doctors under certain circumstances but others also know about drug use by footballers including their employers. If you or I are caught by the police in possession or under the influence of cocaine driving a car, for example, we have to face the consequences. Why the coverup on well paid footballers? Why should they be treated differently to anyone else who uses illegal drugs in their work/workplace?

If I tested positive for drug use at work I'd be fired. Why are footballers given a pass?

Anyone else feel Eddie’s rising tension over his own club’s concerns?

The powders are in and out of your system fast , give you euphoria and self confidence, and a side effect is there an appetite suppressant so helps gaining weight.

When you walk out of Play football your set up to fail 🤷‍♂️ what does this mean 🤔

And if we get caught at work with drugs we get fired if an afl player gets caught ohh poor you it must be your mental health

My guess is that the AFL is probably not the only sport doing this.

The AFL’s always been a law unto itself……

Are the panel here and all there mates on tv putting there hand up to be tested all footy season to. Bit of a double standard going on

Mick Malthouse clutching his pearls, please

For once I agree with Ed!!! Unheard of!!

The music jesus christ calm down Nine

Too easy to throw in the mental health card

Drugs are bad, m'kay.

I think Eddie should remember the movie " The club" ..(great movie btw) Lets be honest - this is being told like clubs are happy for everyone to be on the nose beers .. but the reality is clubs would be very upset if players come in saying "I can't play because I had a big night" .. better putting them on the bench for a week and telling them to get it together than throwing them on the front pages so the media and the public can scream self righteous rubbish .. this is the world we live in now .. show me a story

Eddie is bunging on his political A game here. The reality is that nobody in the AFL gives two stuffs about this stuff UNTIL it becomes public. FWIW, I don't believe AFL players should be held to a higher account than anybody else in society, it's just that everybody else in society has relatively no impact on automobile, alcohol, gambling, bank loan, insurance, supermarket, and fast food marketing & sales. AFL footballers effectively become marketing property the moment they sign an AFL contract.

How about we start with Eddie and the afl stop this bs of every time a player takes drugs it’s a ‘mental health issue’. If you have money and your stupid you tend to take drugs to have fun.