Willie Rioli - banned substance

[divvydan]

Behind paywall so can't see but looks like Herald Sun is claiming Rioli diluted his pee with an energy drink whilst giving the sample.

[mjp]

It says this: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...92f290526e4255


West Coast Eagles livewire Willie Rioli was caught pouring a liquid — possibly an energy drink — into a drug-test beaker in a panicked *!attempt to dupe anti-doping officers.

Rioli, 24, is out of tomorrow’s semi-final showdown against Geelong at the MCG after being suspended on Wednesday night over an “adverse analytical finding” that there was a “urine substitution”.

Rioli had been caught by two Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority officers overseeing a test in Perth on August 20, insiders say, amid speculation that the substance was an *!energy drink.

“He tried to manipulate his sample on-site and got caught red-handed,” a source said.

Rioli would then have been forced to provide a legitimate sample, the *!test results of which had not yet been revealed, the insider added.

Rioli will remain sidelined until a joint ASADA-AFL investigation is completed. He faces a maximum four-year ban.

Rioli during a West Coast training session on August 20 — the day of the test. Picture: AAP
Rioli during a West Coast training session on August 20 — the day of the test. Picture: AAP
The urine test on the small forward was conducted two days after the *!Eagles lost to Richmond in Round 22 at the MCG on August 18. “It’s something other than urine that has been produced by Willie as part of the testing process,” Eagles football boss Craig Vozzo confirmed tonight after the AFL revealed the suspension.

Under ASADA’s strict testing code, players are required to provide a minimum of 90ml of urine, which is immediately poured into A and B sample bottles. These are securely shut and can only be reopened by a special lab machine.

Rioli’s mobile phone was confiscated by the Eagles, with the club reeling over the shock suspension and his management said to be “in the dark”. He had flown to *!Melbourne with teammates on Wednesday and was informed of the *!suspension by league investigators on the team’s arrival at the Parkview Hotel on St Kilda Rd.



FROM OUR PARTNERS

Get your Blockbuster Season sports fix anytime, anywhere Download Foxtel GO

Addressing a snap press conference, Vozzo said Rioli would not have been able to play even if he had not been ruled out.


Richard Ings
@ringsau
In regard to the Willie Rioli announcement, he has not tested positive to a banned substance. The AFL presser is that his sample allegedly shows urine substitution. So it is more a tampering /substitution allegation.

A most serious allegation.

28
2:47 PM - Sep 12, 2019
Twitter Ads info and privacy
29 people are talking about this
“He is very, very flat. He’s a little bit of a mess,” Vozzo said.

“The club and staff are really *!worried about his wellbeing. He is not in a great space and it’s our job to help him as best as we can.”

“The state he is in now, I don’t know if he would be able to play,” said Vozzo.

Asked what Rioli was *!alleged to have done, he said it would be the subject of a “detailed inquiry” that would unfold over many weeks.

Rioli had left the team ahead of tomorrow nights’s match, Vozzo said, but he would not reveal if he was still in Melbourne.

West Coast said it is committed to supporting Rioli through the investigation. Picture: Getty
West Coast said it is committed to supporting Rioli through the investigation. Picture: Getty
Given Rioli was caught more than three weeks ago, questions have been raised as to why he was able to play two more AFL games, including the knockout final against *!Essendon, before being *!suspended.

AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon said tonight: “The provisional suspension is effective immediately. Rioli will not be eligible to compete in AFL competitions or any WADA-compliant sport including the WAFL while provisionally suspended.

MORE FOOTY

CHINA IN, BUT AFL SET TO SCRAP NT

DAVID KING: HOW CATS CAN STOP NIC NAT

“He will be able to train prior to final determination of the asserted code violation.”

The Eagles have engaged top silk David Grace, QC, who represented the Essendon 34 during the Bombers’ drug scandal.

An ASADA spokesman said: “This is an operational matter and as such we won’t be making a comment at this stage.” The Eagles were out from $1.90 to $2 with bookmaker TAB for tomorrow’s clash with Geelong.

Rioli has played 14 games this year, averaging 6.6 score involvements and kicking 18 goals.

The speedster kicked one goal in each of West Coast’s three finals last year, including the Grand Final.
HOW IT UNFOLDED
August 18 - Willie Rioli kicks two goals in the Eagles’ six-point, Round 22 loss to Richmond at the MCG

August 20 - Drug test conducted

August 24 - Rioli boots three goals in a shock 38-point Round 23 loss to Hawthorn in Perth

September 5 - Rioli has 15 possessions in a 55-point win over Essendon in the first Elimination Final in Perth

Wednesday - ASADA informs the AFL of the result of Rioli’s drug test and Rioli is formally notified of his suspension upon arriving in Melbourne

Today at 4.20pm - News breaks of Rioli’s “adverse analytical finding for urine substitution’’ and subsequent suspension

[bulldogtragic]

Behind paywall so can't see but looks like Herald Sun is claiming Rioli diluted his pee with an energy drink whilst giving the sample.

Serious? No. No. No. Really? Tested positive for Red Bull? The suspension needs to be for stupidity. 4 years minimum ban. That could be one of the stupidest things I've heard, ever. Ever. Fizzy urine, how do you explain fizzy urine? Like, cmon.

[comrade]

He would have been better off pouring a VB into the test tube. At least it tastes like piss...

[Axe Man]

If he was caught red handed pouring Red Bull into his urine sample almost a month ago why has he still been playing?

Surely he is provisionally suspended immediately, regardless of what any testing later reveals.

[GVGjr]

Seems like a desperate move by a very desperate player. Going by the code he should get suspended for 4 years

I hope he has good support people around him

[Twodogs]

Seems like a desperate move by a very desperate player. Going by the code he should get suspended for 4 years

I hope he has good support people around him

The crazy thing is if he had an illegal drug in his system then he would have been fine. But have a sports drink in the sample and you're gone!

[bulldogtragic]

The crazy thing is if he had an illegal drug in his system then he would have been fine. But have a sports drink in the sample and you're gone!

It’s not the crime, it’s the cover up...

Also depends if he has any strikes. The most generous reading might be it was going to be a third strike and he rolled the dice thinking the penalty was the same. Maybe?!?

[Twodogs]

It’s not the crime, it’s the cover up...

Also depends if he has any strikes. The most generous reading might be it was going to be a third strike and he rolled the dice thinking the penalty was the same. Maybe?!?

Nixon?

[jeemak]

It will come as no surprise to many posters that I have had my own problems in the past with substance abuse-heroin, speed, cannabis, if you can get addicted to it then it's a fair chance I've had a problem with it. Taking drugs makes no sense at all and the first square heads say is "But it doesn't make any sense" but it's not going to make sense. It doesn't even make any sense to us.?

Without turning into one of "those" threads, this part isn't actually true and I think deep down you don't mean that.

Yeah I do. I may not be getting my point across very well but I mean what I mean. Remember I am looking at it from a squarehead's point of view.

This is such a weird story. If you're looking for something that doesn't make sense substituting urine with whatever type of substance is certainly it. Unless of course it does and it's done all the time and we just don't know about it and the players do.

The substitution makes no sense whatsoever. Although panic (in the streets of London...) causes people to make poor choices. Maybe Willie was only half paying attention in the meeting they discussed this in and was thinking "Shit, shit, shit, WTF did they say? ohhhh why didn't I pay attention"

[westdog54]

It’s not the crime, it’s the cover up...

Also depends if he has any strikes. The most generous reading might be it was going to be a third strike and he rolled the dice thinking the penalty was the same. Maybe?!?

Do ASADA conduct the 'Out-of-Competition' tests on the AFL's behalf or are they done separately to ASADA's testing?

[bulldogtragic]

Do ASADA conduct the 'Out-of-Competition' tests on the AFL's behalf or are they done separately to ASADA's testing?

My understanding is that ASADA do that testing too, within the scope of the policy. With Crossly (GCS) this year getting done for cocaine in his system after a NEAFL game (4 year ban he's facing) maybe a general fear of whatever was exactly in his system created a panic and now he's at where he's at. How many drunk drivers have you charged for refusing a breath test who may have been thinking refusing the test would be a better option (assuming it's still 24 months loss of licence) when if they just did the test in 99% of cases would've been much better off. That nagging guilty mind can make humans make poor choices, like in Willie's case apparently.

[Throughandthrough]

Not related to Willie, but apparently asada testing has been updated and from this year they can find any coke in the system from back to ten days before, used to be only two days. And apparently not all players are aware of the improved testing abilities

[Grantysghost]

Not related to Willie, but apparently asada testing has been updated and from this year they can find any coke in the system from back to ten days before, used to be only two days. And apparently not all players are aware of the improved testing abilities

Interesting. There's been a few players take unscheduled breaks this season, the cynic in me always wonders. (Beams, Stevens).

[Mofra]

Interesting. There's been a few players take unscheduled breaks this season, the cynic in me always wonders. (Beams, Stevens).

There certainly were a lot more shaved heads in the year that follicle testing was introduced.