Tensions between the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority and the players issued with show-cause notices "have escalated," with the anti-doping body declaring it "will not be dictated to," according to Pierik & Murnane of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The Australian Football League Players Association confirmed on Thursday that "the 34 Essendon players re-issued with show-cause notices last week would not contest them and wanted the independent Anti-Doping Rule Violation Panel to assess the evidence within seven days." And ASADA CEO Ben McDevitt "then fired back." He suggested that "the AFLPA had failed the players in terms of their welfare in 2012 when the Bombers' supplements program was in full swing." McDevitt said, "In my role as protector of clean athletes in Australia, my advice to them is that if they want to act in the best interests of the players they should review the 12,000 pages of evidence and follow due process. I only wish that such interest in player welfare had been present in 2012." An ASADA statement said, "ASADA chief executive officer Ben McDevitt said ASADA will not be dictated to by the AFL Players' Association, its lawyers, or anybody else" (SMH, 10/23). In Sydney, Chip Le Grand wrote McDevitt’s comments "will further irritate the AFLPA, which is under pressure from the players, their clubs and the AFL to resolve the long-running saga this calendar year." Despite the "impatience of the players" to have their cases determined as soon as possible, ASADA "is intent on following its own, cumbersome statutory requirements, which require the evidence to be independently assessed by ASADA, the ADRVP and AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon before a tribunal hearing is convened" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 10/24).
