Carlton Supporters Club

Now with this missive I will tread carefully!

I have absolutely no doubt that many suing the AFL for brain injury sustained on the field of play are absolutely legitimate... however... cocaine use also causes brain damage and I hope neurosurgeons can tell the difference between the two, if there is one. I'll leave it at that.

The AFL don't have a drug problem with players...just ask them.

Back then was different, and post career Ablett Snr was in a bad way, far worse than BumberT and BumberT was fully cooked.

Not sure how modern players can reliably avoid detection anymore, they are tested so much, I doubt the issue is anywhere near as bad as it was in the 80s and 90s. But I worry that the non-illicit drugs and out of season detections might not be taken as seriously as they should be, we know that nefarious types spike the stuff with preferred addictions.

I know quite well a player who regularly sourced a 'bag' and got on the snort reasonably regularly and it was somewhat of a culture at this particular club... and that was well into the 2000s.

Ablett’s lawyer was on the wireless today spruiking a settlement.  I guess she’s hoping that her client won’t have to give evidence.

True, but even so the testing then wasn't what it is now.

Even if we do not know, the AFL surely do!

We see this growing trend for players to take some time away from the game, it is often written off as mental health, it won't be all cases but I'm certain some of them will be strikes that we the general public know nothing about. The problem is we do not want to the speculation, it helps nobody, but it's surely up to the player to expose their own issues if they feel fit to do so!

I suspect eventually the culture will change, and these issues will be discussed more freely.

So the answer is let them play on illicit drugs and lets not pretend they are all schoolboys (or at least not the private school boys I knew/know who like their bags)?

I listened to a podcast that had Ricky Nixon talking about Cousins, Carey and his own Cocaine issues.
Depending on the player and specifically their metabolism. The drug can be out of your system within 24 hours.

So the AFLs drug policy is a 'gold star' in terms of optics.
However, in terms of finding and/or fixing the problem. Its like throwing darts at a dartboard blindfolded. Hitting what you want, when you want is nothing short of a miracle.
Further to that, players often get a heads up on when they are going to be tested. So if you think you will get done, you 'self-report' and avoid the strike system altogether.

I'd like to think its less of an issue than it once was, but i think players are a lot more educated now on how to beat the system now so they take more risks.

That's unlikely.

From the American Addiction Centres website:

"After last use, cocaine or its metabolites typically can show up on a blood or saliva test for up to 2 days, a urine test for up to 3 days, and a hair test for months to years. A heavy user can test positive on a urine test for up to 2 weeks.

But other factors can influence how long it stays in someone’s body, such as metabolism, weight, dose, and frequency of use. Drinking while taking cocaine may also slow its elimination from the body."

Hair testing has been part of the AFL drug testing regime since 2016.  However, like risk takers generally, drug users may take the chance that they won't be tested until traces of illegal/banned substances are undetectable ... and they can always self-report and avoid a strike if they have been caught or self-reported before.

Chicken Nixon did say the both he and cousins were in the 99.9th percentile and their individual stories are very much unique.
But how many people would even know what metabolic percentile they would even be in....or of it was even a thing?

As for the testing, my understanding is that they don't do all 3 tests at the same time, despite having all available to them. I don't know the logistics of it, but players are well aware of them.

If you get super worried, just do what Ben cousins did and shave off all his hair when he was due to get tested. That was in his doco. Can't do hair tests if you have no hair to test.

Perhaps all players with shaved heads are ones we should be more wary of?

And, like repeated blows to the head, what are the long term effects of cocaine use on the brain... brain damage and illness, that's what. People doing bags and lines are playing Russian Roulette with their mental health... for the remainder of their lives. Not like hitting the turps for too long, the body will recover given the right diet and circumstances, but once you're brain damaged due to cocaine use - it's permanent, and you're rooted.