The AFL today announced it had taken action under the AFL Rules for conduct prejudicial to the interests of the AFL by GWS Giants-listed player Lachlan Whitfield and former officials of the GWS Giants Football Club Graeme Allan and Craig Lambert.
The AFL Commission accepted a recommendation from Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan that Whitfield, Allan and Lambert accept the following sanctions under AFL Rule 2.3 (Conduct Unbecoming):
· Whitfield – six-month suspension.
· Allan – 12-month suspension.
· Lambert – 12-month suspension.
The suspensions commence from the date of agreement being 12 November 2016 and are based on the following admitted conduct:
Whitfield:
On Monday May 18, 2015, Whitfield sent text messages to a third party the contents of which he has subsequently denied. The messages stated that he:
· took illicit drugs on the evening of May 16, 2015;
· was staying at Lambert’s home to hide from Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency (ASADA) drug testers;
· was doing this under the instruction of Lambert and Allan because they feared the possibility that the illicit drugs taken by Whitfield may have been contaminated with performance enhancing drugs.
Between May 18 to May 21, 2015 Whitfield:
· was advised by Lambert and Allan that he was to remain absent from the Club;
· knew that he and the Club were required to provide accurate whereabouts information;
· stayed at Lambert’s home during his absence from the Club; and
· should have taken steps to check that his whereabouts information had been recorded accurately.
From May 17, 2015 to July 22, 2015, Whitfield did not disclose to the Club (other than to Allan and Lambert) that:
· the third party emailed a Club employee on 17 May 2015 alleging that he had taken illicit (but not performance enhancing) drugs the previous evening (‘unsubstantiated allegation’);
· he denied the truthfulness of the unsubstantiated allegation;
· together with Allan and Lambert, he agreed on a course of action not to disclose the unsubstantiated allegation, or his denials of them, to any other Club personnel
Allan and Lambert:
Between May 18 to May 21, 2015:
· Allan advised Lambert that Whitfield was to remain absent from the Club;
· Allan and Lambert knew that the Club and Whitfield were required to provide accurate whereabouts information;
· Allan and Lambert knew that Whitfield stayed at Lambert’s home during his absence from the Club; and
· Allan and Lambert should have taken steps to check that Whitfield’s whereabouts information had been recorded accurately.
From May 17, 2015 to July 22, 2015, Allan and Lambert did not disclose to the Club that:
· the third party emailed a Club employee on 17 May 2015 alleging that Whitfield had taken illicit (but not performance-enhancing) drugs the previous evening;
· Whitfield denied the truthfulness of the unsubstantiated allegation;
· Allan and Lambert agreed on a course of action not to disclose the unsubstantiated allegation, or Whitfield’s denials of them, to any other Club personnel
In respect of the conduct of all parties:
The AFL acknowledges that:
· Whitfield did not miss any test;
· Whitfield has not been found to have consumed a Prohibited Substance;
· Whitfield has not Evaded, Refused or Failed to submit to Sample Collection.
Mr McLachlan said the AFL had taken into account that all three men had elected to plead guilty and not contest the charges, after a lengthy investigation by the AFL’s Integrity Department.
“The AFL wishes to state in the clearest terms there can be no room in our game to disregard or breach the rules” Mr McLachlan said.
“The AFL acted under its Rules on this matter as there was no suggestion regarding the use of performance-enhancing drugs. However, the actions of each party required action to be taken.
“All parties accepted they had breached the AFL Rules and the AFL took into account the genuine remorse showed by each of the parties when determining the penalties to be imposed,” he said.
It is noted in respect of each of the periods of suspension, the parties will not be permitted to work with any AFL Club and have agreed they will not participate in any capacity in relation to any other organised sporting competition.
Lachlan Whitfield will be permitted to return to training with the GWS Giants after four months of his suspension is served.
AFL Player Rules Sanctions - Lachlan Whitfield, Graeme Allan and Craig Lambert
The AFL today announced it had taken action under the AFL Rules for conduct prejudicial to the interests of the AFL by GWS Giants-listed player Lachlan Whitfield and former officials of the GWS Giants Football Club Graeme Allan and Craig Lambert.
