Condemned forever?

Former ASADA chief Richard Ings’ condemnation of Essendon’s recruitment of former Docker Ryan Crowley says there can be no absolution for past sins.

For non-Twitterati, Ings’ tweet yesterday was :“Coming right out of a doping ban, Ryan Crowley signed by EFC as replacement for one of 12 banned for doping offenses. I do give up.” and a little later: “ IMO time served is of course the end of a ban. But my view relates to EFC distancing itself from all things ADRV related. The first signing.” (ADRV stands for anti-doping rule violation)

AussieRulesBlog accepts that EssendonFC will, for the foreseeable future, be known for the WADA bans, as will the thirty-four past and present Essendon players, and indeed Ryan Crowley.

But we wonder what length of time Ings has in mind for the Bombers to ‘distance [themselves]’ from such matters. Will they be pilloried if they accept the twelve banned players back into their ranks for the 2017 season? Crowley has served his time out of the game, as has Ahmed Saad. When would it be acceptable for the Bombers to consider them? How long is long enough? What about Justin Charles? Has enough time passed?

AussieRulesBlog didn’t break out the bubbly when Crowley’s signing was mooted, but he, Saad and Essendon have paid their penalties. Notwithstanding their inevitable long-term association with their particular doping issues, they're now fully entitled to get on with it.