Collingwood CEO Gary Pert says drugs have become a significant industry issue that must be addressed as soon as possible. Source: Herald Sun
Collingwood's Gavin Crosisca confessed to the Herald Sun in September that he is an addict who used illicit drugs throughout his 25-year playing and coaching career. Picture: Joe Mann Source: Herald Sun
COLLINGWOOD chief executive Gary Pert has raised serious concerns about a growing illegal drug culture in football.
Pert told the Herald Sun last night drugs had become a significant industry issue that must be addressed as soon as possible.
"This is a serious issue with young men in the community and we'd be naive to think it didn't happen in the AFL," Pert said.
"It will be an ongoing challenge - as it is in the community - from this point on."
Pert said he raised it now because he had seen the impact that drugs had had on the community and on a number of players.
"I have seen examples of players who have played AFL football and who have left addicted to drugs, like Ben Cousins and Gavin Crosisca, who came out recently," Pert said.
"We have watched Lance Armstrong destroy the credibility of an entire sport and we see that drugs are in the clubs because the AFL releases the amount of positive tests (each year).
"So someone needed to put this on the table as a priority for the industry to deal with it."
Magpies president Eddie McGuire said Pert was speaking with the board's imprimatur.
"I first brought up the issue of recreational drugs - as they were called back then - at the very first meeting I attended as president in 1998," McGuire said.
Pert raised his concerns at the end of a meeting of club CEOs on the Gold Coast last Wednesday, a day before the national draft.
Several AFL bosses, including Andrew Demetriou and Adrian Anderson, heard Pert's concerns.
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A specific AFL forum has been put in place for late January to tackle the drugs issue.
" I asked whether we would like to deal with the issue in a forum (to be held in 2013)," Pert said.
"I had several of the CEOs and the AFL thank me for bringing up the issue and that it was important to make it a high priority."
Two of those present who preferred to remain unnamed yesterday told the Herald Sun they were stunned at Pert's speech.
Pert emphasised that he was not talking about any particular players or club but that the issue needed to be addressed.
"Categorically, there was no reference to any specific player or any specific club," he said.
- with Glenn McFarlane and Michael Warner
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