Im sure Andrew Johns isnt the only one out there who has done it, and i sure as hell dont think he will be the last

Its called too much money

They get paid big bucks....what else are they gonna waste it on

His lucky he didnt have a Heart Attack while playing on the stuff

What a fool....IMO

Doesn't that just sum up rugby. One of the leagues all time best admits to 10 years of drug taking. can this sport sink any lower

From the looks of things, bombshells arent all joeys dropping!

ELG that was a pretty silly comment, League has a better drug testing setup than the AFL, from what I believe each league player is tested after each game.

League is no worse than the AFL, NBL or any other sport.

Why is anyone Supprised???

Its not just the Bulldogs culture its the whole Country

Bizzy If they know they are getting tested after each game then it actually makes it easier to not get caught.

This is just the start of a long list to come of AFL / NRL players that will own up after they retire.

Recreational drugs, not performance enhancing at least.

I struggle to understand what Johns had to gain from making this announcement - seems foolish to me. Just comes clean for no apparent reason at all

Nice call Dr B!

Thought the "an unknown person pushed it into my jeans at a busy nightclub" story was hilarious

bizzy - i think you'll find that incorrect. Joey's said today that he was tested only 17 times over his career, story here.

The AFL drugs policy on the other hand far exceededs the requirement of AFDA (?? anti doping agency?) by testing for ellicit drugs.

I don't think he said anything about using during a game, just during the season when testing was occuring on occasions..

I can't believe the hoopla surrounding it, do people not realise just how much rec drugs are available and used in society??
Just because someone plays sport they would not do drugs???


Good on him for being honest and a man about it..

Good on him for being honest i say .

If you look at the AFL's greatest players of the modern era it would be the same story , guaranteed .

G Ablett has had lifelong battles including a girl overdosing on him after a 3 day binge .

There are plenty of other similar situations that i know of but obviously cannot broadcast due to legal complications .

The point that needs to be discussed is that IMO most , not all recreational drugs can be either be directly performance enhancing or enhance the mind-body state that leads to an overall , elevated performance .

There is also the belief that if you are using say , ice , coke , and e regularly then you may be more likely to agree to a little HGH or EPO to up the performance .

These are dangerous combinations , obviously , but most would be surprised at how many elite athletes would have used all 5 mentioned .
And , more surprised at who had used them .

The story goes as told by the Sun Herald....(so it must be true)

He only fessed up after being caught at a London airport and being taken into custody.

True sturty , so i guess his honesty was a tad forced yah !

Is Candice Falzone a recreational drug? Rumour is that she's been taken a few times.

Despite the admissions abound, the dectection rate is pretty low and the prosecution rate even lower both within the sport and society.

The average joe biding life in a South East Asian prison must somehow marvel ant the famous "Joey" playing a sympathy angle on will amount to slight embarrassment at best.

Slight embarassment Sween? Not so sure about that. For starters, he has already been axed by the ARU as any possibility of joining the Wallabies for kicking tutorage.

I would say that he will lose a sh*t load in endorsements and sponsorship opportunities.

His kids will cop it at school etc etc

I agree with DB5. The media report the issue like it's so unbelieveable that a sportsperson would dare drop a pill or snort a line or two.

These drugs are MAINSTREAM now. Kids are dropping pills at their high school formals now. I guarantee the Alma is full of young eatsern suburbs chicks off their face on a Saturday.

(note to self: go to Alma this Saturday)

The shock I saw on Gary Lion's face last night when he heard about Johns' drug taking just shows that some people have no idea about how accepted recreational drug use is in Australia. I think Johns' matter-of-fact recount of his drug taking is more an accurate reflection of how common it is. The same applies to AFl, although I genuinely believe there is less of a problem than 5-6 years ago - there is just more detection now.

Gone are the days where many a Port/Crows player (including the Roo) where seen at Rise after 6am.

Lockstock - in regards to why he owned up to everything - I got the impression last night watching the interview that Johns was almost relieved this was now out in the open for him. It looked as though he has thought about the ramifications (loss of sponsorship, kids etc etc) of telling all, and decided that he could no longer run away from the issue at hand. Hopefully now he can address the drugs/alcohol issues that he has and also continue to address the other issues in his life that made him feel compelled to use such drugs.

Lockstock,
I dont think John's kids will unduly suffer at school any more than their capability to protect themselves in the manner that kids have done for time infinetum. They'll probably be more famous now.

I See John's financials as a temp. loss. He has skills that atre in demand, just as prominent models, actors, lawyers, bikies etc. Willing to bet that someone(s) continue to feather Joey's nest quite soon. He'll probably have a Kate Moss rest for a while.

Personally, I think someone that makes a mistake(s) and then is man enough to put their hand up and say, "um, hey it was me, I f@$%ed up, but I am willing to admit it" is even more worth having as a speaker etc, seems like the media will do their best to shatter that theory, and prob Johns' credibility...

Whatever happened to honesty is the best approach...

Sween

He's going to have a 'broomstick in a dress' sleep for a while?

People aren't saying that taking them is ok, they are just saying that it is an unfortunate fact that recreational drugs are becoming a major part of society. It is extremely sad that it is indeed happening but when you're 18-22 and have all this money without support in place what do you spend the money on?

Sturty,
Someone did some fairly good wittling on the broomstick that is Kate.

Fair call anon, drinking water all night is always better on the skin fold tests than drinking alcohol all night....

Anon - not sure if its the right thing to say "far less impact", but certainly a different impact that may be easier to mask as an athlete who needs to show up for training/recovery etc.

Also, by saying drugs are mainstream, I'm not saying they are right. Emos are mainstream, and I hate them and want them to die.

But, it is absolutely the case that these footy players are being hung out to dry for a problem that is most likely less of an issue in footy than it is in the rest of society, all because of a VOLUNTARY testing system that relies on confidentiality that has been shown to be a joke.

I was merely commenting on the fact that people seem genuinely surprised at the various drug "scandals" involving footy players, whereas I am not.

Cmon folks, get over it, we celebrate Boony's 52 cans (apologies 52cans)...we have sports stars promoting pubs...alcohol...and all manner of crap, we have adverts telling kids to by grog for fathers day.

Grow up! Alcohol is the biggest problem in society today causes more death..violence and injury than anything else and its legal and encouraged???

if its not performance enhancing, we have no right to know if an athlete is using...nor should we care. If you want to ban recreational drugs...START BY BANNING ALCOHOL !!

Watch the media say in a couple of weeks that andrew johns is cured....cause once who have bipolar you have it for life. there is nothing wrong with him thay are just still trying to cover him.

its obvious none of you have any clue what its like 2 suffer from bipolar illness let alone any mental illness. for andrew 2 come out to the public and tell that he is bipolar is a big thing.