Federal MP Andrew Wilkie has told parliament of allegations that secret illicit drug tests were conducted on AFL players to help them avoid detection on game days. The claims, presented in the House of Representatives on Tuesday night, come from a former Melbourne Demons club doctor and a former club president.
Wilkie described the allegations as credible and detailed, provided in signed statements from former Melbourne president Glen Bartlett, former club doctor Zeeshan Arain, and Shaun Smith, father of player Joel Smith. The allegations include off-the-books drug testing at Dorevitch Pathology in Heidelberg, facilitated by former AFL chief medical officer Peter Harcourt.
According to Wilkie, Arain said the AFL wanted players to compete at all costs. “If there are no illegal drugs in the player’s system they are free to play, and if there are drugs in their system the player is often asked to fake an injury,” Wilkie said. He added that results of the secret tests were kept from Sports Integrity Australia and the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Wilkie also alleged a prevalence of drug abuse across the AFL, with players arriving from other states with pre-existing cocaine dependencies. He accused senior AFL executives, including chairman Richard Goyder and former CEO Gill McLachlan, of wilful inaction, and claimed Bartlett was removed as Melbourne president after suggesting AFL officials be regularly drug tested.
The AFL and Melbourne Football Club have been contacted for comment.
