Bombers Chairman apologises for 'institutional failings'

Essendon Chairman David Evans has apologised for "institutional failings" at the club following the release of a report into the use of performance enhancing supplements.

The review, undertaken by former Telstra Chief Executive Ziggy Switkowski, found that a series of management processes relating to the Essendon's controversial supplements program either broke down, failed or were short-circuited.

Commenced in February, following the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) release of its investigation into sports doping, the report investigated the club's program devised by sports scientist Stephen Dank. It focussed on reports that Bombers players were regularly injected with anti-obesity drug AOD 9604 as well as thymosin, which is banned by ASADA.

The report does not cover the use of AOD 9604, a drug the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has confirmed was banned from 2011 because it was not cleared for human use by any national health authority in the world.

However, Evans (pcitured) said the report "pulls no punches" about processes at the club in the period from November 2011 to August 2012.

The report found that there was a lack of clarity about who was in charge of the football department, stating "a number of management processes broke down, failed or were short circuited.

"Problems occurred in selection, recruitment processes, induction processes, management of contractors ... in the football department.

"In particular the rapid diversification into exotic supplements, sharp increase in frequency of injections, the shift to treatment offsite in alternative medicine clinics, emergence of unfamiliar suppliers, marginalization of traditional medical staff, etc, combine to create a disturbing picture of a pharmacologically experimental environment never adequately controlled or challenged or documented within the Club in the period under review.

"Compliance rules existed but normal controls during an abnormal period were insufficient to check the behaviours of some people who may have contravened accepted procedures, and the CEO and the board were not informed."

Evans acknowledged the club's failings in the period covered, adding "escalation, supervision, those procedures and remembering that the coach put down some guidelines as to how the supplement program was to run - the risk management around those guidelines clearly let us down.

Evans explained "it's an institutional failing. We as a club take responsibility. I've apologised today. There will be some change. There already has been some change.

"There will be ongoing change to implement the recommendations that are in this report. The board will be committed to that and there's still some deliberations to happen as a result of the report which the board will sit down and talk to over the course of the coming days and weeks."

Evans repeated Essendon's refusal to concede that illegal substances had been used at the club, adding that the substances given to players was still a matter for ASADA to investigate.

He continued that medical advice given to the club had given"a great deal of comfort about ... what may have been given to players."

"We have got the help from two pharmacology experts in Dr Andrew Garnham and Professor Ross McKinnon. They have been advising the board for the last three months and we're getting more and more confident.

"There was nothing banned that was given to our players."

No decisions would be made by the club on personnel until the conclusion of the ASADA investigation.

The full report will remain confidential to the board, the AFL and ASADA while the executive summary can be read on Essendon's website at www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2013-05-06/dr-ziggy-switskowski-report

David Evans images courtesy of AFL.com.au

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