Demons captain 'not hiding' as culture probed

Melbourne Demons captain Max Gawn remains confident the club does not have a widespread drug problem after forward Joel Smith was served three additional Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) by Sports Integrity Australia (SIA) on Tuesday night.

The SIA allegations levelled against Smith included “trafficking or attempted trafficking” of cocaine to third parties, plunging the club’s off-field culture back into the spotlight.

The allegations are not criminal in nature.

Addressing media on Wednesday, Gawn said he was “quite shocked” by the latest development but maintained Melbourne did not have a wider drug issue the club was trying to mask.

“Not in my opinion, no,” he said.

“For 16 years I’ve been drug tested, for 10 years I’ve been hair tested — the AFL and the AFL Players Association handle that.

“In those 10 years, I’ve never been told that our club has a drug culture.

“Until I get told that there is an issue or I can see an issue myself with my own eyes, I can only go off face value.”

Gawn acknowledged he was limited in what he could say while the investigation was ongoing but stated pending the outcome, Smith’s case is an isolated incident.

However, he admitted the accusations reflected a broader issue in society.

“If the investigation proves to be true, then there is a player that took illicit drugs but we’re naive to think that that doesn’t happen in society,” Gawn said.

“I get we’re a high-performance industry and we’d love zero [incidents with illicit drugs].

“It’s a matter of overall education. As males, especially in this age group, I think it’s a day-to-day education sort of set up around societal issues. Not just drugs but mental health, alcohol [and] gambling.

“We constantly have those issues in our game so it’s just [about providing] constant education.”

In an anti-doping context, trafficking may include an athlete “selling, delivering or distributing” any prohibited substance. Reports claim it is alleged that text messages were found on Smith’s phone referencing the giving of cocaine to other Melbourne players.

With the incident now allegedly involving Smith’s Demons teammates, Gawn argued that the club was not shying away from internal issues.

“There are things to iron out but that’s the same at every club and with every society issue,” he said.

“I’m not hiding. There are issues and we will make sure that we get that right but there are issues every single year whether they are written about [in the media] or not.

Heading into his fifth season as club captain, Gawn is confident he has an understanding of his players off the football field.

“I’d like to think I’ve got a good grasp on our group and we’ve had an unbelievable summer despite the turmoil we’ve had in September and October with some articles being written,” he said.

“But I’m incredibly bullish that we have the right culture.

“Obviously, I would love no articles to be written about our club but they have and I still stand strong that we have a good culture.”

Gawn’s comments come after Demons great Garry Lyon said the club would be “negligent” if it did not investigate player behaviour.

Speaking on SEN radio, Lyon argued that the Demons should have conducted a probe when the club’s first drug-related incident emerged last October.

“If they haven’t been aware they would be negligent. If they are not doing a deep dive into their environment, they would be negligent,” he said on Wednesday.

“I don’t think Joel Smith is a drug trafficker. Under this definition, anyone who indulges in drug taking, if you’re sharing them, you’re a trafficker.

“But while there is understanding for Joel, this is on him. This is all on him.

“While we deal with it, this responsibility lays at the feet of Joel.”

Smith is yet to respond publicly to these developments.