DRUG CLAIMS 'GARBAGE'

THE AFL yesterday lam basted retired Swan Dale Lewis's claims of
rampant drug use by footballers as an insult to players and a blight
on the game. While Lewis's unsubstantiated claims of widespread
recreational drug use and systematic test avoidance are unlikely to
bring about a change in the testing regime, he succeeded in sparking
national debate on the issue, albeit at a personal cost. Lewis's
estimate that three out of four of players would have dabbled in
marijuana, ecstasy or cocaine at some point was dismissed as being
without credibility by AFL football operations manager Andrew
Demetriou and "absolute garbage" by the AFL Players Association's Rob
Kerr.

It also received an angry response from Sydney captain Paul Kelly, who
said Lewis had "certainly stretched" their long-standing friendship
with his remarks.

"Dale is accusing me and my team-mates that we're into drugs," Kelly
said. "It's totally untrue and I've got no idea where he's coming from."

Brisbane assistant coach Gary O'Donnell said he would be shocked if
drugs were so prevalent among today's players.

Adelaide captain Mark Bickley questioned whether it was a problem
unique to Sydney.

"Whether it's got something to do about Sydney and the lifestyle of
Sydney, I don't know," Bickley said.

"I think Adelaide is different."

Brian Sando, the Adelaide club doctor and chairman of the Australian
Sports Drug Agency, said there was no evidence of a drug problem
within the AFL.

"You would be naive to suggest that no one has ever tried any of these
things because footballers are representative of society, but there is
no evidence to suggest there is a problem in what I have observed,"
Sando said.

"I can remember the good old days when footballers would play it
pretty hard on and off the field. These days, with the demands to be
in top shape every weekend and the risk of losing your place in the
team, I think the heavy use of recreational drugs during the season is
minimal now."

On the first day of his new life as a drugs whistle-blower, Lewis did
his standing in the football community few favours.

While insisting he stood by his claims, he admitted that in a career
spanning 11 years and 182 games, he had never actually witnessed one
player snorting, swallowing or shooting up an illegal substance.

"I have never been in the presence, never seen anyone take drugs,"
Lewis said. "I have heard of it."

Kerr said if Lewis had spent a decade at the Swans without seeing
anyone taking drugs, it hardly suggested the practice was rife.

Faced with a furious reaction from his old club, Lewis sought to
distance any current Swans players from the controversy, saying the
team-mates he knew to have taken drugs were all retired.

The most glaring inconsistency in Lewis's claims is that in eight
years of comprehensive drug testing, only one player has tested
positive for a banned stimulant and one for a steroid.

Lewis argues this is because players increasingly know how to avoid
being detected but this was rejected by ASDA, the independent agency
responsible for testing within the AFL.

The AFL only tests for stimulants such as cocaine, ecstasy and speed
on match days. Given that a drug such as cocaine leaves the system
within 48 hours, this leaves a wide window for players to be able to
use the drug and avoid detection.

However, according to the AFL, out-of-competition tests were conducted
for these drugs before this season. The reason they were discontinued
was because so few positive tests were returned. While Demetriou
refused to rule out a return to the old testing, he gave little
indication that Lewis's comments would prompt immediate action.

"The suggestions of drugs being rife in the AFL are inaccurate and
exaggerated," Demetriou said. "It is a blight on the game. I think it
sends out a terrible message.

"More than 500 players were tested in 2001 and no player tested
positive to having banned drugs in his system. Should any player be
foolish enough to breach the rules in relation to drugs, he can
eventually anticipate being caught and probably sooner rather than
later."

But with the spiralling salaries earned by footballers, O'Donnell said
the AFL needed to remain vigilant to avoid following the lead of
professional sports such as Major League Baseball, the NFL and NBA,
which have all had their share of drug scandals.

"We tend to follow overseas games in the way we evolve and the
benefits to our players have grown very quickly in the last five
years," O'Donnell said.

"We've seen some of the problems in American sport where there is
plenty of money and plenty of leisure time and (players) get
themselves into trouble. We've got to be vigilant through testing and
education and make sure the players are given every opportunity to
stay away from that area."