CAITLIN BASSETT: AFL secret drug testing offensive to all professional athletes

The AFL’s decision to create a safety net for players to take illicit drugs is offensive to professional athletes across Australia.

As a former elite athlete, I would never have considered taking drugs. My reputation, and my sport’s reputation, meant more to me than a temporary high.

To hear that AFL players are being helped to ‘cover up’ illicit drug use under the guise of confidentiality and player well-being is disgusting and offensive for athletes who are committed to being elite.

The AFL statement claims that the medical interests and welfare of players are a priority.

I argue they are doing the opposite. The AFL is not doing players justice by not holding them to account.

I can guarantee if a player on $800,000-a-year knew they would get sacked if they took illicit drugs, they wouldn’t do it.

The AFL is saying, “It’s OK to do it, just don’t do it on game day. Or if you do take drugs, give us the heads-up, and then we can protect you”.

All athletes should be treated equally across all sports and around the world. No player is bigger than the game, yet the AFL seems intent on helping to cover up behaviour that could tarnish its brand.

The truth is, if you’re prepared to roll the drug dice, the odds are already in your favour of not being caught. You don’t get tested as often as people think. It’s random, especially in a large squad.

I’ve been tested three times in a week, and I’ve been tested three times in a full season. I’ve been tested at games, at training and at my house.

The first time an athlete is drug-tested is one they never forget. It’s degrading.

They actually have to see the urine leaving your body. It’s not like at the doctor’s office where if you need to provide a sample you get given a cup and directed to the bathrooms to pee in privacy.

You must stand with your shirt tucked up and pants around your ankles while a stranger stares at you.

It’s one of the worst parts of sport but it’s one of the most necessary. It ensures that the integrity of the game and the safety of the players is held above all else.

The “strict liability” principle has been ingrained in all professional athletes. You’re continually reminded that you are responsible for any substance found within your body.

It doesn’t matter if you meant to take something illegal or not. If you take something and you are caught you will face sanctions.

Covering up illicit drug use is not doing anything to stop the behaviour. Other athletes in Australia aren’t protected by their governing body, nor should AFL players be.

Allowing that to happen makes a mockery of the AFL calling itself a professional sport.