2012 Brownlow Medal to go to Sam Mitchell and Trent Cotchin

[bornadog]

The 2012 Brownlow Medal given up by Essendon captain Jobe Watson will go to Sam Mitchell and Trent Cotchin, the AFL Commission has announced.

full story here

[bulldogtragic]

At least Jobe doesn't have it. I hope the players knock it back and just leave it as an asterisk.

[chef]

Why would the players knock it back?

[hujsh]

Wrong decision. Easy way out for the AFL as usual

[AndrewP6]

Terrible decision.

[G-Mo77]

When you look up the Brownlow Medal winners all you should see beside 2012 is a big *

[Greystache]

Easy decision, wrong decision, AFEL decision. All one and the same.

[GVGjr]

Easy decision, wrong decision, AFEL decision. All one and the same.

Agreed, the easy option has been taken

[1eyedog]

Well they were the two best and fairest players in the comp for that year... Aren't Olympic gold medals awarded to the runner up if the winner tests positive to a banned substance?

[GVGjr]

Well they were the two best and fairest players in the comp for that year... Aren't Olympic gold medals awarded to the runner up if the winner tests positive to a banned substance?

I get what you are saying but Olympic medals are an acknowledgement for winning or placing your in your event on that day not a combination of points acquired over an extended period so I'm not sure it quite stacks up. Do we take Watsons votes out and move every player that got 2 or 1 votes in those games he polled in and reallocate those votes?

I think it's more like those bike rides where the years Armstrong won but got disqualified are somewhat erased. Just my opinion though. I don't mind Mitchell or Cotchin but did they really win it?

[LostDoggy]

Mitchell and Cotchin are no less deserving than anyone who finished 2nd to a tribunal supended player and were therefore declared the winner.

[Sedat]

Mitchell and Cotchin are no less deserving than anyone who finished 2nd to a tribunal supended player and were therefore declared the winner.

This. Cotchin and Mitchell fully deserve their Brownlows, and have actually been cheated out of their moment 4 years ago by someone who played that season with the benefit of performance enhancing drugs.

[soupman]

I'm fine with them receiving the Brownlow medal. From memory they each polled 26 votes that year so it isn't like they are unworthy winners either.

[1eyedog]

I get what you are saying but Olympic medals are an acknowledgement for winning or placing your in your event on that day not a combination of points acquired over an extended period so I'm not sure it quite stacks up. Do we take Watsons votes out and move every player that got 2 or 1 votes in those games he polled in and reallocate those votes?

I think it's more like those bike rides where the years Armstrong won but got disqualified are somewhat erased. Just my opinion though. I don't mind Mitchell or Cotchin but did they really win it?

Understand your point, there are problems with it but I think a common sense approach needs to prevail.

Most Olympic sports are subject to heats, finals and then the final over many days, sometimes over a week. What about the swimmers who swam fourth in the semis and missed out on a crack at the final? Regardless of the above gold medals are awarded to the runner up in the event of a positive test.

I'm not saying it's ideal, but an asterix all over the record books in world sports would be depressing as a sports fan and extremely frustrating for all those sports people who worked so hard and ran second to a drug cheat. It's fine to punish the winner and strip them of their medal, but second place would need to live with that for the rest of their lives too.

[hujsh]

Mitchell and Cotchin are no less deserving than anyone who finished 2nd to a tribunal supended player and were therefore declared the winner.

Different scenarios, none of which involved PEDs.