AFL in shock after reigning Brownlow Medalist admits he was injected with illegal drug.
Sydney Swans star Ryan O’Keefe belies Jobe Watson must face the full wrath of the law in the wake of drug use revelations during his Brownlow Medal season.
The Essendon captain this week confessed he has been injected with the illegal peptide AOD9604 several times during last season by the Bombers’ club doctor Bruce Reid.
The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority is looking into the practices by Essendon last season with its supplement program.
O’Keeffe expressed his shock at the claims made by Watson, but said judgement should be reserved until all of the facts are made available.
“Until the investigation is finished you probably wouldn’t be admitting something I would think,” O’Keefe said.
“Jobe is a smart and calculated guy and I think he knew what he was doing.
“It’s hard to know until the final thing has come out and all the facts have been laid on the table.”
O’Keefe believes Watson should not lose his Brownlow Medal unless evidence indicates he should be punished severely, which could be the case given the level of culpability the Essendon captain showed this week.
“That’s for the powers to be that decision,” O’Keefe said.
“I think it comes down to if you take a banned substance then expect the full wrath of the authority.
“I don’t think you can complain if it comes your way.”
Essendon coach James Hird said he would wait until the ASADA investigation had runs its course before making a full comment.
“We have confidence in the process we’re going through, we have confidence in ASADA and the AFL investigation that the truth will come out,” Hird said.
“It’s a very complicated and sensitive issue and we can’t wait to talk openly and freely about everything that’s happened at our football club (but) at the moment we can’t do that.
“The facts I have, I don’t believe it’s in doubt.”
COMMENTS