Essendon great Matthew Lloyd says it's highly unlikely Jobe Watson will keep his Brownlow medal.
Watson is still overseas, having recently celebrated his sister's wedding in Bali. He is understood to be weighing up his options and is likely to front the AFL commission next month. The commission has invited him to make a submission on whether or not he should keep the 2012 medal.
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Bombers lose doping appeal
Essendon players lose their final appeal in Swiss court over 2012 drug allegations, bringing Jobe Watson's Brownlow medal into doubt. Vision courtesy Seven Network.
Lloyd told Channel Nine's Today show that the dismissal of the Court of Arbitration for Sport appeal was the end of the road for the players seeking to be cleared.
"It's going to be highly unlikely," Lloyd said. "I'm devastated for him as an ex-teammate of me. He was badly let down like the other 33 players were by (disgraced sports scientist) Stephen Dank and the program that happened at Essendon.
"He thought he was taking supplements and those sorts of things and you know he's been let down badly. Unfortunately he is unlikely to keep it, but I wish that he could because he was badly let down by his football
Former ASADA CEO Richard Ings told SEN radio that while a decision on Watson's Brownlow was now up to the AFL, it was inconceivable that he could keep the medal.
"The rules are very clear," he said. "It is a matter of jurisdiction now for the AFL for them to make a decision, probably the AFL commission as to whether individuals points and prizes and awards should be stripped from the player … but from my perspective I find it very difficult for a player to have an anti-doping rule violation in the same year that they are awarded an award for the best and fairest for competing by the rules.
"There is a divergence there and that needs to be resolved by the AFL commission immediately.
Ings also said the football fans who still questioned the decision based on no positive drug tests were on the wrong track.
"I really hoped that after three years we are well past that. An anti-doping rule violation can be established by any reliable evidence, testing is one form of evidence. Non analytical evidence, witness statements and other material is also evidence. If it is reliable evidence and it is presented to the court and it is accepted by the court of arbitration in sport and a ruling is made then an anti-doping rule violation was found and that's what happened with these 34 players.
"It's been upheld by CAS, it's been not been overturned by the Swiss federal court. It stands. Violations were committed, rules were broken and consequences were imposed.
"This has been a saga that has been going on for what 1300 days … it has been full of twists and turns and surprises, but the decision by the Swiss federal court is the most unsurprising moment of it.
I find it very difficult for a player to have an anti-doping rule violation in the same year that they are awarded ... best and fairest.
Richard Ings
"The appeal was on such narrow grounds by the Essendon football club players. The Swiss court is looking at procedural matters only and the Swiss court deemed that there were no procedural matters to even really review and declined to here the matter. It is not a surprise at all.