AyiosYiorgos
Card Addict
Reading this i thought it was a gee up, all this BAD press about Drugs/Salary Cap Cheating and now horse drugs, will im my opinion see the sharks not only lose current sponsors, but have issue's in getting new sponsors....
Cronulla Sharks chairman Damian Irvine claims players were injected with horse drugs
THE Cronulla Sharks rugby league club sacked four coaching staff members and suspended their coach Shane Flanagan because they did not reveal allegations some players were injected with drugs used on horses.
The club's chairman Damian Irvine alleged his football club staff had not notified the board about the allegations of drug use which date back to 2011.
One of the drugs is believed to be TV-500, a substance used on horses to increase muscle growth, strength and endurance.
The stunning claims were made as the club prepared to open the season tonight against the Gold Coast Titans.
Irvine broke his silence on the scandal that has rocked the club and the NRL. He spoke exclusively to The Sunday Telegraph Sports Editor-at-Large Phil Rothfield.
PHIL Rothfield: Damian, this is your fault. I've told you for years you need a CEO. You should stand down.
Irvine: Mate, when paid staff fail to report ... injecting players with equine substances, I can't help (Editor's note: the staff have denied any knowledge of this). Players deserve professional support, not people who risk their careers.
Equine substances. What evidence do you have of that?
They were well aware of it. It happened over a few weeks.
Sharks-Titans Match Centre - now optimised for moble
What was the substance?
I don't know, it was labelled that. I'd have to check my notes.
I'm told there was a bottle of tablets with a sticker that said: "Not for human use."
There's a massive failing in the system if those boys had something else in bottles.
When a doctor threatens to resign when a practice is going on, it's a pretty major thing.
For the board not to be told about it, that's why we are where we are today.
But Shane Flanagan and David Givney parted company with Stephen Dank.
Blokes on hundreds of thousands per year in privileged positions of working for an NRL club should know better.
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I can't believe you left the country with this happening.
I have to make a living somehow.
These guys you've sacked or stood down have pulled together a roster capable of winning a premiership and you've just kicked them out.
You're saying this happened because we were under-resourced and didn't have a CEO. Melbourne Storm were the best resourced club in the game and look what happened there with the salary cap.
If people choose to make poor decisions, regardless of the structure, they have to pay the consequences.
Particularly those in highly paid management jobs.
We're not talking about $90,000-a-year employees.
It's devastating for a lot of people but the pain now will help the club in the future.
Sometimes you make hard decisions.
People have to be accountable. We've made a courageous decision.
We could have waited and said, let's see what happens. They're all good people but they've made errors.
Why the doctor, Dave Givney? He threatened to resign.
He's got a duty of care over the players.
He was the one who raised concerns and got rid of the sports scientist.
He did.
We're talking about the Kangaroos and State of Origin doctor.
That doesn't mean that when someone makes the wrong decision, that they can't be accountable.
Where's your evidence?
I can't breach a legal document and evidence in an investigation.
The briefing we got, including all the evidence from the players, that has gone through numerous legal people, we all agreed we had no choice.
The full story will come out and we can judge it all on that.
Players' health and safety has to come first.
Why hasn't the board taken any responsibility?
We've taken responsibility. We've put ourselves out there for a review on how the board handled the process.
You're doing the review. It's hardly independent.
That's not true.There's two independent reviews taking place. The club has nothing to do with them.
Surely it will come back and say you should have had a chief executive.
Maybe, let's wait and see. I can't stress enough that the decision people made at the time had nothing to do with the resources available or the fact we didn't have a chief executive.
A CEO wouldn't have known what was going on because people chose to keep things secret, deliberately, and that's why they are not there any more. I can't be any clearer.
So you're saying Mooney, Flanagan and all of them did not reveal what had allegedly happened?
That's what I said. Things were not elevated. It wouldn't have made any difference who was above them.
That's why two years later it's blown up. If we'd been told, we could have done something at the time. These guys were aware of the issues
Didn't they do the right thing by taking action over the allegations?
Well, yeah, but it's potentially even worse that they knew to do that but didn't elevate it to the board. It's pretty damning.
Is there any chance Flanagan will be reinstated as the club's head coach?
Absolutely.
He's been stood down. He's the only one who wasn't sacked. What does that tell you?
I wanted that bloke to be coach of the club for 20 years. I've still got to go through the whole process.
So this is just about you and the directors protecting yourselves.
Not at all.
If you didn't have enough to sack him, why did you stand him down? He got rid of the sports scientist.
He also introduced him.
No, Trent Elkin introduced him.
Yeah, but not alone. There was more than one person at the introduction.
We haven't made a knee-jerk reaction.
No one is more gutted for Shane or Moons than I am. Moons got let down by those underneath him.
You put the management team in place.
If people want to be secret, deliberately, the best processes in the world can't stop that.
What will you do if the report comes back critical of the board?
We'll act on any recommendations it says.
Will you stand down?
Well, I'm not clinging on to a $1 million-a-year job, Buzz. I do it for the club.
I do it because the club needs me to help get them out of trouble.
It's hard work.
You take whatever recommendation comes but I'm very confident in the integrity of the board.
Should be an interesting AGM in a couple of weeks.
No one put their hand up before in worse times. People are entitled to do what they want. Why don't you throw your hat into the ring.
I've been asked to.
Well, do it.
I worry about a conflict of interests.
Other journos are on boards. Greg Alexander's one.
Sounds like you're inviting me on to your ticket.
Maybe. I'm just saying it's open to anyone
Cronulla Sharks chairman Damian Irvine claims players were injected with horse drugs
THE Cronulla Sharks rugby league club sacked four coaching staff members and suspended their coach Shane Flanagan because they did not reveal allegations some players were injected with drugs used on horses.
The club's chairman Damian Irvine alleged his football club staff had not notified the board about the allegations of drug use which date back to 2011.
One of the drugs is believed to be TV-500, a substance used on horses to increase muscle growth, strength and endurance.
The stunning claims were made as the club prepared to open the season tonight against the Gold Coast Titans.
Irvine broke his silence on the scandal that has rocked the club and the NRL. He spoke exclusively to The Sunday Telegraph Sports Editor-at-Large Phil Rothfield.
PHIL Rothfield: Damian, this is your fault. I've told you for years you need a CEO. You should stand down.
Irvine: Mate, when paid staff fail to report ... injecting players with equine substances, I can't help (Editor's note: the staff have denied any knowledge of this). Players deserve professional support, not people who risk their careers.
Equine substances. What evidence do you have of that?
They were well aware of it. It happened over a few weeks.
Sharks-Titans Match Centre - now optimised for moble
What was the substance?
I don't know, it was labelled that. I'd have to check my notes.
I'm told there was a bottle of tablets with a sticker that said: "Not for human use."
There's a massive failing in the system if those boys had something else in bottles.
When a doctor threatens to resign when a practice is going on, it's a pretty major thing.
For the board not to be told about it, that's why we are where we are today.
But Shane Flanagan and David Givney parted company with Stephen Dank.
Blokes on hundreds of thousands per year in privileged positions of working for an NRL club should know better.
Scrubber
Share
Fullscreen
I can't believe you left the country with this happening.
I have to make a living somehow.
These guys you've sacked or stood down have pulled together a roster capable of winning a premiership and you've just kicked them out.
You're saying this happened because we were under-resourced and didn't have a CEO. Melbourne Storm were the best resourced club in the game and look what happened there with the salary cap.
If people choose to make poor decisions, regardless of the structure, they have to pay the consequences.
Particularly those in highly paid management jobs.
We're not talking about $90,000-a-year employees.
It's devastating for a lot of people but the pain now will help the club in the future.
Sometimes you make hard decisions.
People have to be accountable. We've made a courageous decision.
We could have waited and said, let's see what happens. They're all good people but they've made errors.
Why the doctor, Dave Givney? He threatened to resign.
He's got a duty of care over the players.
He was the one who raised concerns and got rid of the sports scientist.
He did.
We're talking about the Kangaroos and State of Origin doctor.
That doesn't mean that when someone makes the wrong decision, that they can't be accountable.
Where's your evidence?
I can't breach a legal document and evidence in an investigation.
The briefing we got, including all the evidence from the players, that has gone through numerous legal people, we all agreed we had no choice.
The full story will come out and we can judge it all on that.
Players' health and safety has to come first.
Why hasn't the board taken any responsibility?
We've taken responsibility. We've put ourselves out there for a review on how the board handled the process.
You're doing the review. It's hardly independent.
That's not true.There's two independent reviews taking place. The club has nothing to do with them.
Surely it will come back and say you should have had a chief executive.
Maybe, let's wait and see. I can't stress enough that the decision people made at the time had nothing to do with the resources available or the fact we didn't have a chief executive.
A CEO wouldn't have known what was going on because people chose to keep things secret, deliberately, and that's why they are not there any more. I can't be any clearer.
So you're saying Mooney, Flanagan and all of them did not reveal what had allegedly happened?
That's what I said. Things were not elevated. It wouldn't have made any difference who was above them.
That's why two years later it's blown up. If we'd been told, we could have done something at the time. These guys were aware of the issues
Didn't they do the right thing by taking action over the allegations?
Well, yeah, but it's potentially even worse that they knew to do that but didn't elevate it to the board. It's pretty damning.
Is there any chance Flanagan will be reinstated as the club's head coach?
Absolutely.
He's been stood down. He's the only one who wasn't sacked. What does that tell you?
I wanted that bloke to be coach of the club for 20 years. I've still got to go through the whole process.
So this is just about you and the directors protecting yourselves.
Not at all.
If you didn't have enough to sack him, why did you stand him down? He got rid of the sports scientist.
He also introduced him.
No, Trent Elkin introduced him.
Yeah, but not alone. There was more than one person at the introduction.
We haven't made a knee-jerk reaction.
No one is more gutted for Shane or Moons than I am. Moons got let down by those underneath him.
You put the management team in place.
If people want to be secret, deliberately, the best processes in the world can't stop that.
What will you do if the report comes back critical of the board?
We'll act on any recommendations it says.
Will you stand down?
Well, I'm not clinging on to a $1 million-a-year job, Buzz. I do it for the club.
I do it because the club needs me to help get them out of trouble.
It's hard work.
You take whatever recommendation comes but I'm very confident in the integrity of the board.
Should be an interesting AGM in a couple of weeks.
No one put their hand up before in worse times. People are entitled to do what they want. Why don't you throw your hat into the ring.
I've been asked to.
Well, do it.
I worry about a conflict of interests.
Other journos are on boards. Greg Alexander's one.
Sounds like you're inviting me on to your ticket.
Maybe. I'm just saying it's open to anyone
