Ziggy report raises more Q's than A's

Essendon chairman David Evans says the buck stops with him, for the failings which led to the supplements saga at the Bombers.

Former Telstra chief executive Ziggy Switkowski. Picture: Craig Borrow Source: Herald Sun

THE Ziggy Switkowski report told us plenty, but not what we all want to know.

Did the players take banned drugs?

It wasn't Ziggy's job to find out.

There were, however, unconventional ideas, rapid diversification into exotic supplements, more injections, unfamiliar suppliers and medical staff marginalised, which altogether "created a disturbing picture of a pharmacologically experimental environment".

Let's simplify that: The players were guinea pigs.

Ziggy interviewed everyone and anyone - but not Dean Robinson and Stephen Dank, the men who ran Essendon's supplements program - and found the football department was dysfunctional and bereft of clear leadership, and the medical department was fragmented.

Switkowski's report did not paint Essendon in a flattering light.

Who was to blame for such a shemozzle, however, was a tougher task.

He said of the football department: "Who was accountable for what is difficult to ascertain."

That does not mean there will not be casualties.

The Bombers have reserved their judgment on individuals until the joint ASADA/AFL investigation is completed.

Asked if he could guarantee jobs - and the insinuation was they were those of coach James Hird, head of football Danny Corcoran and chief executive Ian Robson - chairman David Evans was non-committal.

"I'm not guaranteeing anything," he said.

"The club has been through a tumultuous time and there's some change that needs to occur."

Robson position's is under fierce scrutiny.

The prime example, among many, of the breakdown in practices is the misplaced letter written by Dr Bruce Reid.

In the days leading up to January 15, 2012, Reid wrote a letter listing concerns about some practices in the sports science program.

On January 15, Hird, after consulting Reid, imposed strict reporting procedures surrounding the use of supplements, stressing that every supplement for players had to be ticked off by Reid. Those procedures were revealed in an email published in the Herald Sun on April 12.

What happened to Reid's letter is unknown.

Reid handed it to then football manager Paul Hamilton. The board never received it.

"We're confused as to where that letter went," Evans said yesterday. "Clearly that letter didn't go to who it should have."

Clearly, there were concerns inside the club at the start of last season.

Switkowski found there was a "lack of clarity" about who was in charge of the football department - Hamilton or Corcoran - even though Corcoran missed three months of the pre-season after the death of his wife and returned to the club in a type of liaison role.

At the same time, Reid was isolated and considered "yesterday's man", the sports science department introduced confidentiality forms, sought supplements from unknowns, used doctors outside of the club, and we already know they spent up to $100,000 over budget (although this is not stated in the public report).

The overriding feeling is that secrets were kept from the board, as well as from people within the football department.

Switkowski said the "CEO and the board" were not informed about any of it.

One conclusion that could be drawn is that Robson wasn't aware of Reid's letter.

Indeed, it's probably best for Robson he wasn't.

Still, it is difficult to accept Hamilton received a letter from Reid, which Hird was aware of, and put it in his top drawer and left it there.

Again, this saga continues to throw up questions without answers, such as why was Dank summoned to the Australian Crime Commission and and why won't he talk to ASADA?

That Switkowski did not talk to Dank makes his report important but not critical to the eventual outcome.

As usual, all roads lead to Dank. He denies he gave the players banned drugs, although the anti-obesity peptide AOD 9604, has been declared prohibited by ASADA. Documents seen by the Herald Sun last week showed it has been prescribed to some players.

The club, however, is more confident than ever the players are clear.

The problem is Switkowski could not tell us either way.

And, in the end, that remains the biggest question of all.

WINDY HILL

ESSENDON'S HOME, AND IN 2012, A ... "PHARMACOLOGICALLY EXPERIMENTAL ENVIRONMENT"

Essendon yesterday released an abridged version of the findings of a review into the management of its 2012 supplement program.

Below are some key findings in former Telstra boss Ziggy Switkowski's report.

"The period of interest begins with the recruitment of new personnel and leaders for the high performance team at the end of the 2011 season. This new group of experts in player strength and conditioning was given considerable space within which to operate and found little early resistance to their sometimes unconventional ideas.

"The rapid diversification into exotic supplements, sharp increase in frequency of injections, the shift to treatment offsite in alternative medicine clinics, emergence of unfamiliar suppliers, marginalisation of traditional medical staff etc, combine to create a disturbing picture of a pharmacologically experimental environment never adequately controlled or challenged or documented within the club.

"The high performance team grew to seven staff in early 2012. Both the head of the performance unit (Dean Robinson) and the sports scientist (Stephen Dank) appeared to have credible qualifications in the sports science field and long periods of relevant experience in elite sport.

"Who was accountable for what (in the football department) was difficult to ascertain. The responsibilities of two key staff (Paul Hamilton and Danny Corcoran) overlapped and the new fitness team was able to largely ignore their attempts at direct management. Added to this is a senior coach (James Hird) in his first coaching role.

"Following concerns about the program, in January (2012) the senior coach reasserted the principles about the supplement program that:

ANY supplement must be WADA and ASADA compliant.

IT must not be harmful to players' health.

PLAYERS must be properly informed about anything entering their bodies.

EVERY product was to be cleared by the doctor.

"These guidelines were reasonable and unambiguous, but compliance required robust recording and monitoring processes, which proved inadequate.

"The following key issues led to a breakdown in oversight:

AN assumption was made by the senior coach that his instructions would be followed to the letter. In early 2012, there appears to have been no structured follow up, monitoring or recording of compliance with the wishes of the coach.

INSTRUCTION by the coach to the performance team to manage the supplements program legally and not cross the line' is superficially clear enough but in this area of moving boundaries, as anti-doping authorities try to regain control at the frontiers of pharmacology, it is unwise, perhaps reckless, for any club to even approach this 'line'.

"The attitude of some in the new fitness team was that EFC's medical personnel were yesterday's men. They were 'part of the problem, not part of the solution'.

WHO ZIGGY SPOKE TO

Essendon executives, board members, three players from the leadership group including captain Jobe Watson, "parties outside the club" including former football manager Paul Hamilton.

WHO HE DIDN'T

The sports science "contractor" at the heart of the inquiry, Stephen Dank. Also the man who introduced Dank to the Bombers, now suspended high performance manager Dean "The Weapon" Robinson.

Ziggy Switkowski conceded in his report that his work had been "inevitably constrained" because "a number of individuals key to a full analysis of this period have been unavailable for interview".

WHAT WE STILL NEED TO KNOW

Did Essendon players take drugs that were banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency code?

Switkowski said he did not consider the "nature of supplements administered by the EFC during this period, and their compliance or otherwise with various anti-doping codes".

"Questions about the pharmacology of certain supplements, their possible performance affecting properties, compliance or otherwise with anti-doping codes etc, are issues for the AFL and ASADA investigations."

The ASADA/AFL investigation is believed to have months to run, with Essendon players beginning interviews this week.

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