Karmichael Hunt charged with cocaine supply.

[Chris McCracken]

Bobby Sands point brings us back to the big picture issue that this whole saga has shined a light on and that's the way our society views and legislates drug use.

Surely that is not at issue here. A man broke the law and has been punished. It is no different to the argument that happened about double standards in sexual harassment laws when Beale was effectively suspended.

Bringing up those arguments conflates the issue at hand. Are you proposing that Hunt be let off because one day we might change the law?

 

[Chris McCracken]

Keep reading then.

As bored as I am, I'm not bored enough to read 45 pages to decide what a few anonymous people feel about a football player. No-one is that bored, surely.

 

[qwerty51]

I would be interested to know if people think other Australian rugby players aren't taking coke.. Because if that is the case, it is purely ludicrous.

What type of players? Professionals? I doubt it during the season, possibly during overseas vacations but a very small minority. Common in Premier grade and below just like society.

 

[BDA]

Surely that is not at issue here. A man broke the law and has been punished. It is no different to the argument that happened about double standards in sexual harassment laws when Beale was effectively suspended.

Bringing up those arguments conflates the issue at hand. Are you proposing that Hunt be let off because one day we might change the law?

No i suppose my comment brings me back to one of my first comments on this thread, which is that I generally disagree with criminalisation of recreational drugs. Its situations like this that remind us that many functioning, contributing members of society use drugs and that we shouldn't be classing them as criminals. I think we need a new approach to these issues.

 

[Bobby Sands]

What type of players? Professionals? I doubt it during the season, possibly during overseas vacations but a very small minority. Common in Premier grade and below just like society.

Professional players in Australian rugby take cocaine. Absolutely fact.
Coke in the AFL down here in Melbourne is absolutely rife.

The society line is well-worn but does illuminate the reality, all off these "footballers" are people first and foremost.

 

[qwerty51]

How is that an absolute fact? There's a big difference between in season and off season..

 

[BDA]

I doubt there is many that would use during the season, as Qwerty mentions. All of these recent charges relate to use of drugs in the off season. Ironically Rugby League Immortal Joey Johns admitted to doing pingers during the season on a friday night after games.

 

[Bobby Sands]

How is that an absolute fact? There's a big difference between in season and off season..

It's fact because I know that it is happening first and second hand.

While I agree in and our of season are different, it is crazy to think Rugby players are off a higher moral standard to the other codes and do not use recreational drugs.

 

[Bobby Sands]

I doubt there is many that would use during the season, as Qwerty mentions. All of these recent charges relate to use of drugs in the off season. Ironically Rugby League Immortal Joey Johns admitted to doing pingers during the season on a friday night after games.

Joey played games on pingers.

 

[BDA]

I'm not sure what the drug testing policies are, but I would think that most players would be smart enough to avoid using during the season. It's perhaps not surprising then that these footballers are alleged to have had these massive drug benders as soon as the season ends

 

[qwerty51]

Of course, cocaine has a reputation of an elitist drug that fits well into the culture of rugby private school education but I think unlike the AFL which covers up positive tests, pro rugby players aren't dumb enough to get on during the season where they can be tested.

 

[Dumbledore]

Of course, cocaine has a reputation of an elitist drug that fits well into the culture of rugby private school education but I think unlike the AFL which covers up positive tests, pro rugby players aren't dumb enough to get on during the season where they can be tested.

That's completely head in the sand stuff. Cocaine gets out of your system incredibly quickly, one of the reasons why it's so popular. Plenty of masking substances you can take as well. And really, I can't think of a reason why rugby players would be any smarter than AFL players.

 

[Chris McCracken]

In the interests of accuracy, cocaine's detectability in urine is 19.2 hours +/- 4.2. It's metabolites are up to 52.4 hours, which is where you get pinged. WADA rules (which the ARU are signed up to) says you can be tested at any time.

The idea of the masking agents is a completely different story that I won't get into. Just suffice to say that it is probably best to stay off in-season if you're subject to random out of competition testing.

 

[Bobby Sands]

In a standard urine test, it's out of your system in roughly two days depending on how much water is drunk.

Is it thought that Wendell was "dobbed in" and WADA tipped off, and was therefor more than just bad timing on his part.

 

[Dumbledore]

In the interests of accuracy, cocaine's detectability in urine is 19.2 hours +/- 4.2. It's metabolites are up to 52.4 hours, which is where you get pinged. WADA rules (which the ARU are signed up to) says you can be tested at any time.

The idea of the masking agents is a completely different story that I won't get into. Just suffice to say that it is probably best to stay off in-season if you're subject to random out of competition testing.

How random do you really think it is? Random like the cycling tests are random? Random like the tests in the NFL are random?

I've made this point before, but there's very, very, little interest in catching these guys. Partly because the WADA penalties can be so harsh - banned from all sports for up to 4 years - and partly because of the negative publicity it brings to the code. I actually like the AFL three strike policy. It gives the club a chance to help the player, rather than throwing them under the bus for something an absolute crateload of young professionals do week-in week-out.

 

[Chris McCracken]

How random do you really think it is? Random like the cycling tests are random? Random like the tests in the NFL are random?

I've made this point before, but there's very, very, little interest in catching these guys. Partly because the WADA penalties can be so harsh - banned from all sports for up to 4 years - and partly because of the negative publicity it brings to the code. I actually like the AFL three strike policy. It gives the club a chance to help the player, rather than throwing them under the bus for something an absolute crateload of young professionals do week-in week-out.

Again, mine isn't a comment on anything other than the raw data. Hence I said "In the interest of accuracy".

Whether the tests are really random or whether they're targeted are beyond my understanding. I will say, though, that the tests are conducted by ASADA, not the sport. And they have a vested interest in actually catching and suspending people - as the Sharks and Bombers will attest to. UCI and NFL don't test under those guidelines.

Jonathon Thurston's 6am mid-week test is well documented. I can also attest to any number of athletes who have been tested very randomly.

 

[Bobby Sands]

Jonathon Thurston's 6am mid-week test is well documented. I can also attest to any number of athletes who have been tested very randomly.

If ASADA haven't been tipped off in this instance, than I am not here.

 

[Chris McCracken]

I'm not sure what you're saying.....

As far as I'm aware, ASADA has nothing to do with this instance (K. Hunt)

 

[TOCC]

For those arguing, is BDA the only person here with an actual career and experience within the legal profession?

Just saying....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Chris McCracken]

For those arguing, is BDA the only person here with an actual career and experience within the legal profession?

Just saying..

Depends on which side of the bench you're talking about, I guess

Mind you, I think the lawyers seem to have summed up. Now we're up to how many people use and how they beat tests.

Keep up!