Essendon have requested a delay to their AFL Commission hearing, increasing the likelihood that the club’s charges will not be settled before the finals.
Time is running out for the AFL Commission to decide whether the Bombers, who will finish in the top eight, should be stripped of their premiership points before the finals start on September 6.
In another day of drama surrounding the club’s supplements scandal, a member of the AFL anti-doping tribunal jury also claimed he was told AOD-9604 was not banned last year when the drug was administered to Essendon players.
The status of the anti-obesity drug through last year’s supplements program at the club has been one of the key issues of the ongoing Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) investigation into Essendon.
Acting on an interim ASADA report, the AFL laid charges a week ago against Essendon, their senior coach James Hird, veteran club doctor Bruce Reid, assistant coach Mark Thompson and Bombers football manager Danny Corcoran.
Those AFL charges are not specifically anti-doping, but relate to allegations of conduct unbecoming and bringing the game into disrepute.
The AFL Commission is supposed to hear all the charges next Monday, with the league keen for a resolution before the finals.
But it emerged on Monday night that the four individuals would request delays to their hearings.
Essendon subsequently announced late on Tuesday afternoon that they would do the same.
The commission has the power to strip Essendon of premiership points if it finds the club guilty of the charges.
But there is only 10 days between next Monday and the start of the finals.
“If the AFL gives us the time we need to prepare for this, there is little chance it will be finished before the finals,” Essendon chairman Paul Little said.
The Bombers claim they requested the delay after seeking information from the AFL about the hearing.
“As the AFL has not provided that information, the club is not in a position to proceed next week and that is why the matter needs to be adjourned,” the Bombers added.
The AFL have been tight-lipped as intense negotiations continue with Essendon.
Earlier on Tuesday, before Essendon announced they would request a delay, AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said the club were within their rights to do so.
In a separate development on Tuesday night, anti-doping specialist Dr Andrew Garnham claimed he received information in February that AOD-9604 was not banned last year.
Dr Garnham is on the AFL anti-doping tribunal and has also been advising Essendon over the supplements crisis.
In April, the World Anti-Doping Agency released a statement saying the drug had been banned since 2011.
But a major plank of Essendon’s defence against any specific anti-doping charges will be that they inquired to ASADA about the status of AOD-9604 and were told it was not on any banned list.
“The advice that I had at that time (last February) was that AOD-9604 was considered under section S2 of the anti-doping code and was regarded as not prohibited,” Dr Garnham told Fox Sport’s AFL360 program.
One of the most explosive revelations of this six-month scandal was the admission from Essendon captain Jobe Watson that he believed he had taken AOD-9604.
Watson also steadfastly defended his innocence.
Dr Garnham was among medical personnel who addressed a meeting of Essendon players’ parents and partners on Tuesday night at Windy Hill.