The Australian Football League (AFL) anti-doping tribunal has handed Fremantle Docker player Ryan Crowley a 12-month suspension for breaching its anti-doping code. Crowley failed a match-day test after Fremantle’s Round 17 game against Greater Western Sydney Giants on 13 July 2014, testing positive to a banned substance. The banned substance was contained in a painkiller ‘not prescribed by a Fremantle staff member or club doctor’, with Fremantle’s CEO Steve Rosich reportedly stating that Crowley was ‘acting outside the club’s normal process by taking the painkiller’.

Crowley’s 12 month suspension is backdated to 25^th September 2014, the day he voluntary accepted provisional suspension after both A and B match-day samples collected from Crowley tested positive under the ALF’s Anti-Doping Code. Crowley’s positive test was not made public until 16^th March 2015. His AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal hearing, which had initially been set for 1^st May, was delayed until 18^th May after the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) requested more time to prepare following written submissions from Crowley’s legal team.

Fremantle CEO Rosich said in a statement that, “We are extremely disappointed that a senior player well versed in our medical protocols, and with the benefit of regular information and education sessions on AFL policies, would make such a poor choice instead of consulting our club doctors.”

Having said that, no one is more disappointed with the situation than Ryan. It has been a very stressful time for him. Now the matter has been dealt with by the tribunal, our focus, as it has been since the club was first advised last year, will continue to be our duty of care for Ryan as a respected and valued member of our team.”

In his statement Ryan Crowley said, “I am deeply remorseful and disappointed with the mistake that I made last year. I genuinely never ever intended to do the wrong thing.

“In the 13 years I have been playing for Fremantle Football Club I have never wanted to jeopardise my career and position at the club, or let any of my team mates or fans down. And for that I hope you will accept my deepest and sincerest apologies.”

Crowley is out of contract at the end of the 2015 season. Rosich stated that no decision on whether Crowley would return to Frenantle would be made until the season was completed.

“We will review, as part of normal list management protocol, the status of Ryan at the end of the year,” he said.

ASADA issued a statement acknowledging the AFL’s Anti-Doping Tribunal’s decision to impose the one-year ban on Crowley. ASADA CEO Ben McDevitt said that they had noted that the tribunal found that Crowley did not intend to violate the World Anti-Doping Code and that the case illustrated ‘the dangers of inadvertent doping’, adding that athletes needed to ‘be careful about what they take, even if they don’t intend to cheat’.

ASADA’s statement continued that Crowley was ‘ineligible to participate, as an athlete or support person, in any sports that have adopted a World Anti-Doping Agency compliant anti-doping policy until 25^th September 2015’.