ASADA has taken aim at disgraced sports scientist Stephen Dank after his appeal against a lifetime ban from sport was formally thrown out by the AFL Appeal Board on Monday.
Dank, who failed to attend his own hearing at the AFL last Monday, citing a medical emergency, was given until last Friday to produce documented proof as to why he did not show up.
After failing to respond to that demand, the league announced it had dismissed his appeal. ASADA was quick to weigh in after the announcement, releasing a statement in which it said Dank should "not be allowed near any athlete in the world, ever".
"Mr Dank has treated this appeal board with contempt from the very beginning and his appeal process has been a farce," said ASADA chief executive Ben McDevitt.
AFL Anti-Doping Appeal Board has today dismissed Stephen Dank's appeal against his life ban, after he ignored Board's directions last week.
— Patrick Keane (@AFL_PKeane) November 28, 2016
"From the start, Mr Dank has failed to comply with directions from the board, failed to ever produce a witness list or evidence, and failed to ever outline his case for the appeal, despite requests from the board. This has been a total waste of time and money."
As a result of the appeal being thrown out, ASADA has also withdrawn its cross-appeal.
"Mr Dank's life-long ban from involvement in sport is entirely appropriate. This man should not be allowed near any athlete, anywhere in the world, ever," McDevitt said.
The AFL Appeal Board, in a statement announcing the dismissal of Dank's appeal, said it would have dismissed the appeal after Dank's latest failure to comply, even had both the AFL and ASADA not applied for such a dismissal.
The board said the appeal had a "troubled history", which Dank had contributed to "by a lack of co-operation and communication".
"In the board's view, in all the circumstances of this appeal and in particular the intentional and contumelious disregard of the board's ruling of 21 November, the applications of the AFL and ASADA for the dismissal of the appeal for want of prosecution should be granted," the statement said.
Dank went on Adelaide radio last Monday after his "no-show" insisting that he would provide medical evidence to the board, claiming that he had to remain in Sydney after a close relative suffering cancer had been admitted to hospital.
This man should not be allowed near any athlete, anywhere in the world, ever.
ASADA boss Ben McDevitt
"My most desired outcome is for everyone to be cleared," he said on 5AA. "By the time we finish this hearing, Jobe [Watson] will have his Brownlow back."
But when contacted by Fairfax Media following the passing of last Friday's deadline to produce the medical evidence, Dank would not explain his failure to provide a statement, still claiming when he was asked whether he would appear before the panel: "Yes. Bank on it."