Star Demons AFL player to start season under cocaine cloud; club insists no drug culture
Max Gawn is adamant Melbourne does not have a drugs culture as the AFL club reels from the new anti-doping charges laid against teammate Joel Smith.
In a dramatic escalation, the league confirmed on Tuesday night that Sports Integrity Australia (SIA) had charged Smith with three anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) of the Australian Football Anti-Doping Code over alleged ātrafficking or attempted traffickingā of cocaine to third parties.
Gawn acknowledged the new charges were shocking, but the Demons captain staunchly defended his club.
Itās the latest blow in a tumultuous off-season for Melbourne, with several off-field issues keeping the club in the headlines for the wrong reasons.
Smith has been provisionally suspended since October, when he was notified of a positive cocaine test following the Demonsā round-20 win over Hawthorn on August 20.
Asked on Wednesday if there was a club issue, Gawn said: ānot in my opinion, no.
āIt obviously is quite shocking. (But) all I can say is for 16 years Iāve been getting drug tested, for 10 years Iāve been getting hair tested.
You might like
āIn that 10 years, Iāve never been told our club has a drug culture.
āUntil I get told we have an issue or until I can see the issue myself, with my own eyes, I can only go off face value.ā
Gawn and AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon noted the SIA investigation into the charges was ongoing and nothing had yet been proved.
After Melbourne crashed out of the finals in straight sets for the second-straight season, issues escalated around their star onfielder Clayton Oliver and Smithās positive test also became public.
Amid other media reports about off-field problems at the club, chief executive Gary Pert claimed the clubās culture was āthe best Iāve seen in 40 yearsā.
āIād like to think I have a good grasp on our group and weāve had an unbelievable summer, with the turmoil weāve had over September and October,ā Gawn said.
Stay informed, daily
āIām incredibly bullish we have the right culture.
āIām not hiding ā there are issues ā and we will make sure we get that right. But there are going to be issues every single year, whether you guys (media) write about it or not.ā
Gawn spoke impressively at an AFL function on Wednesday morning, while noting he was limited given the ongoing investigation.
The Demons captain also said Tuesday night was the first he heard of the allegation that Smith had texted teammates in regards to cocaine.
Under the code, trafficking is defined as āselling, giving, transporting, sending, delivering or distributing a prohibited substance by an athlete ā¦ to any third party.ā
Smith has also been notified of another ADRV for possession of cocaine on September 9, 2022.
He was already facing a maximum four-year ban under the AFLās anti-doping code for his positive cocaine test.
It is unclear how much the additional charges could add to any suspension, or when that would be determined.
Smith will remain provisionally suspended and is unable to train or play with his teammates, and the AFL confirmed under the code the new asserted violations will be further investigated by SIA.
The 27-year-oldās matter could be heard at the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal, but there is no timeline on when that might happen.
Ā
Want to see more stories from InDaily Qld in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily Qld as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily Qld". That's it.
