Should the Essendon Player Drug Ban Be Carried Out?

Should the Essendon Player Drug ban be carried out?

Essendon is an AFL football club that has been around since the VFL started, one of only eight clubs at the time. Essendon is the most successful Australian Football League (AFL)/Victorian Football League (VFL) club in history equal first with Carlton with 16 AFL/VFL premierships. The Essendon football club has been accused of taking a performance enhancing drug known as Thymosin beta-4. There are many different viewpoints from family, players, the club and the AFL, which leads to different opinions on whether or not the ban should be carried out.

Firstly, Essendon supporters and many others find that the ban is unfair and not acceptable. The supporters believe that the 34 players that have been given a 12 month ban are not guilty of the fact that they took an illegal drug. The ban has been issued to the players for taking the peptide Thymosin beta-4. The argument that the supporters have is that the players have no say if the coach and club doctor tells them to take something. There’s one thing that the supporters don’t like is the time it took for ASADA to decide on a verdict. This leads them to believe that there was some sort of doubt from ASADA because of the 3 year time frame. The supporters believe that the players should not suffer the ban but rather the club should be held responsible.

The AFL and ASADA officials who made the ban are very firm on the decision of punishing the 34 players who took the drug and the Essendon football club. The AFL stand by their decision of a player who takes an illegal drug is responsible for the consequences, which come with making that decision. The AFL have no leeway on whether or not the player knew what they were taking because it’s still an illegal drug at the end of the day. In defence of the lengthy time span ASADA say that there had to be thorough tests on the drug to have no doubt that it was an illegal drug. It has also required a very thorough investigation which takes time.

Another reason that the ban should not be carried out is that the club has a duty of care over all the players at their club and yet the club put them in this position in the first place. This ban has been applied to the Essendon football club because they thought it would be a good idea to give their players ‘vitamin injections’. A lot of people from the professional game believe that the ban should not be for the players but for the club. The Essendon FC should take responsibility for this because it’s their club doctor that administered the injections that got this club and its players in trouble under the direction of the senior coach.

However, others would contest that the players