The Australian Sports Anti-Doping
Authority’s case against Australian Football League Side Essendon footballers "appears certain to
collapse if its investigators cannot use transcripts from player
interviews conducted last year," according to Chip Le Grand of THE AUSTRALIAN. There "are two key pieces of
evidence common to every current and former Essendon player accused of
taking a banned peptide during the 2012 season: all 34 signed consent
forms to be administered with a Thymosin peptide and all told ASADA in
their interviews they received injections as part of the supplement
regime." The status of the interview transcripts "will be decided by Federal
Court judge John Middleton when he rules on the legality of ASADA and
the AFL’s joint investigation into the Essendon supplements regime." Essendon
and coach James Hird have asked "the court to declare ASADA acted
unlawfully." They asked the judge "to
prevent ASADA from using any evidence gathered through the joint
investigation, including transcripts of player interviews." The testimony "is considered crucial evidence by ASADA, which has built a highly circumstantial case otherwise" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 8/28). In Sydney, Jon Pierik reported documents released by the Federal Court "have reinforced the AFL's
determination" to use the interim ASADA
report to punish Essendon over its supplements program. The Bombers and Hird have argued that the AFL improperly used
the report "to hand down the harshest penalties for governance breaches in
league history." The report was given to the AFL on Aug. 2, 2013, but former ASADA CEO Aurora Andruska said she became "increasingly concerned" it was to
be used by the AFL for other purposes (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 8/27).
