Pubdate: Thu, 07 Mar 2002 Source: Advertiser, The (Australia) Copyright: 2002 Advertiser Newspapers Ltd Contact: http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1 DRUG CLAIMS 'GARBAGE' THE AFL yesterday lam basted retired Swan Dale Lewis's claims of rampant drug use by footballers as an insult to players and a blight on the game. While Lewis's unsubstantiated claims of widespread recreational drug use and systematic test avoidance are unlikely to bring about a change in the testing regime, he succeeded in sparking national debate on the issue, albeit at a personal cost. Lewis's estimate that three out of four of players would have dabbled in marijuana, ecstasy or cocaine at some point was dismissed as being without credibility by AFL football operations manager Andrew Demetriou and "absolute garbage" by the AFL Players Association's Rob Kerr. It also received an angry response from Sydney captain Paul Kelly, who said Lewis had "certainly stretched" their long-standing friendship with his remarks. "Dale is accusing me and my team-mates that we're into drugs," Kelly said. "It's totally untrue and I've got no idea where he's coming from." Brisbane assistant coach Gary O'Donnell said he would be shocked if drugs were so prevalent among today's players. Adelaide captain Mark Bickley questioned whether it was a problem unique to Sydney. "Whether it's got something to do about Sydney and the lifestyle of Sydney, I don't know," Bickley said. "I think Adelaide is different." Brian Sando, the Adelaide club doctor and chairman of the Australian Sports Drug Agency, said there was no evidence of a drug problem within the AFL. "You would be naive to suggest that no one has ever tried any of these things because footballers are representative of society, but there is no evidence to suggest there is a problem in what I have observed," Sando said. "I can remember the good old days when footballers would play it pretty hard on and off the field. These days, with the demands to be in top shape every weekend and the risk of losing your place in the team, I think the heavy use of recreational drugs during the season is minimal now." On the first day of his new life as a drugs whistle-blower, Lewis did his standing in the football community few favours. While insisting he stood by his claims, he admitted that in a career spanning 11 years and 182 games, he had never actually witnessed one player snorting, swallowing or shooting up an illegal substance. "I have never been in the presence, never seen anyone take drugs," Lewis said. "I have heard of it." Kerr said if Lewis had spent a decade at the Swans without seeing anyone taking drugs, it hardly suggested the practice was rife. Faced with a furious reaction from his old club, Lewis sought to distance any current Swans players from the controversy, saying the team-mates he knew to have taken drugs were all retired. The most glaring inconsistency in Lewis's claims is that in eight years of comprehensive drug testing, only one player has tested positive for a banned stimulant and one for a steroid. Lewis argues this is because players increasingly know how to avoid being detected but this was rejected by ASDA, the independent agency responsible for testing within the AFL. The AFL only tests for stimulants such as cocaine, ecstasy and speed on match days. Given that a drug such as cocaine leaves the system within 48 hours, this leaves a wide window for players to be able to use the drug and avoid detection. However, according to the AFL, out-of-competition tests were conducted for these drugs before this season. The reason they were discontinued was because so few positive tests were returned. While Demetriou refused to rule out a return to the old testing, he gave little indication that Lewis's comments would prompt immediate action. "The suggestions of drugs being rife in the AFL are inaccurate and exaggerated," Demetriou said. "It is a blight on the game. I think it sends out a terrible message. "More than 500 players were tested in 2001 and no player tested positive to having banned drugs in his system. Should any player be foolish enough to breach the rules in relation to drugs, he can eventually anticipate being caught and probably sooner rather than later." But with the spiralling salaries earned by footballers, O'Donnell said the AFL needed to remain vigilant to avoid following the lead of professional sports such as Major League Baseball, the NFL and NBA, which have all had their share of drug scandals. "We tend to follow overseas games in the way we evolve and the benefits to our players have grown very quickly in the last five years," O'Donnell said. "We've seen some of the problems in American sport where there is plenty of money and plenty of leisure time and (players) get themselves into trouble. We've got to be vigilant through testing and education and make sure the players are given every opportunity to stay away from that area." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake