Please find below a transcript from Michael Vossβ press conference at Enoggera Army Barracks on Friday morning.
Journalist: Vossy, what did you make of the press conference yesterday with the ACC and the claims about drugs and organised crime, and the links with sport?
Voss: Well, clearly we donβt want it. Thatβs first and foremost. I think, as a sport, we clearly donβt accept it and we look forward to what the findings can show and then we get the chance to eradicate it from the sport. So the AFL will obviously beef up that part, in terms of the integrity area, and I welcome that. Itβs a good little wake-up call for everyone β just to review how youβre going about things, and how you do things. But also a chance, if there is any suspicion there, to be able to eradicate it, and then we can move on.
Journalist: So, as a club, youβve got nothing to fear from these investigations?
Voss: No, Iβm fairly confident.
Journalist: Youβve been involved in the sport for decades β was there ever anything on your radar?
Voss: Itβs always in the back of your mind. I think what we really try to ram into the players β and to everyone for that matter, because this is actually an industry thing, not just related to the players β is that everything we do has got to be taken through the doctors. Thatβs just paramount. It must happen. And you know that what youβre throwing into them, a lot, is that if you put anything in your mouth, youβre responsible for it. And thatβs been spoken to us a lot, every single year, and it almost feels like every second month that weβre referring to it. So from that end, weβre making sure that we get the chance to review what weβre doing and thatβs why I sit here and remain very confident, for us, that weβre good.
Journalist: Does the Club do its own testing above and beyond what ASADA does? Whatβs your testing regime like?
Voss: Thereβs no testing regime. For us, our testing regime is making sure that everything is passed through the right channels. We put complete faith in whatβs actually getting tested (by the AFL) and how itβs getting tested and we welcome it if that requires more testing. So be it. If the findings out of it are that they want to ramp it up, then I think itβs good for the sport, good for the code. Itβs been a topic amongst sport in general in the last four, five months and as a result of that, I think fans want to know. I think where Iβm at is just that weβve seen the findings, weβve heard the findings, we want to be able to find out who it is so we can move on. Thatβs probably where we sit right now.
Journalist: Are you concerned the fact that theyβre not naming names, when clearly theyβve got names and clubs in particular that theyβre looking at, is going to start hurting everyone? Because, at the moment, itβs just sport in Australia, very broadly.
Voss: I understand the important communication pieces that happen, but I think everyoneβs looking forward to that moment. I think the fans are, and I know we are, because until that actually happens, I guess everyoneβs implicated until otherwise shown. When that moment comes β I think the fans will be looking forward to it and I know we certainly are.
Journalist: What do you say to the fans who might be losing faith in sport?
Voss: I guess you can look at it in a couple of different ways. Certainly itβs a watershed moment, thatβs for sure. Itβs a very serious incident, but itβs also a chance to be able to make sure that they can be fully aware that the integrity of the game will always be guarded. I think the response from the AFL has been quite swift and thereβs a lot of actions that have come out of the back of it. You can clearly tell, already, that theyβre going to make sure that this is a really important part of the game thatβs always upheld. So the fans have nothing to worry about in that area if thatβs a concern for them. So letβs hope that the product remains exactly the same β weβre confident that it will.
Journalist: Whatβs actually in place to prove that there isnβt anything involved with the Lions?
Voss: We obviously have to make sure that everythingβs in place from our point of view. Thatβs all we can ever do. We can look at the wider community and whatβs actually happening, and we get a chance, as the Lions, to learn off that. I think Iβve already stated whatβs clearly communicated to the guys about what available resources there are, so if they have anything in the back of their minds that theyβre not sure about, they can check. Youβve got various avenues, like ASADA, that you can check off against. Thereβs lots of different areas that you can make sure that youβre getting things right.
Journalist: I believe the clubβs had a relationship with Mr Dank in the past. Is that something that brings fresh concern to you now? Do you go back and review what that involved, or are you quite comfortable that it was all above board?
Voss: Well, we still do that, youβve got to. It would be negligent not to. But, like we said, he was limited involvement. Iβm not concerned at all.
Journalist: Are you concerned that, given there was limited involvement, that the Club might be tarnished by it?
Voss: I think weβre at a point where, at the moment, that cloudβs hanging over the whole code. So if youβre asking me that question, Iβd say yeah, we want to clean that part up. I think weβre all looking forward to when that can actually get done. We also understand that thereβs a lot of work thatβs got to go in between now and then. Iβm looking forward to the moment when that can be communicated so that we can go about our business. But for us, clearly weβre going to check what we do. We are clearly going to do that. In terms of us being able to move on, itβs important we do that too.
Journalist: Are athletes under pressure to take banned substances?
Voss: I donβt think so. I think itβs a choice. Itβs a clear choice.
Journalist: Is there any uneasiness Vossy? Youβve obviously got 40-odd guys in your squad.
Voss: Thatβs why we have all those things in place. We make sure that if thereβs any ambiguity about anything, that itβs covered off. No, I trust the people that weβve got in place, and I trust our program. I think they do an exceptional job and I think our players are well and truly communicated with, as well as our staff β no, I donβt have that concern.
Journalist: Have you spoken to your players about this specific issue in the last 24 hours?
Voss: Of course we have.
Journalist: What was the message?
Voss: To reinforce the exact same thing that weβve said to them a number of times. That you must make sure that, if you are unsure about anything, then it has to be passed through the doctors. Thatβs part of our protocol thatβs been around for a long time and will continue to be. If theyβre unsure of anything for any reason, theyβve got that avenue to talk to.
Journalist: What would you say to any whistleblowers who might have any information?
Voss: I would encourage them to come forward. Going back to the original point, as an industry, we want to be able to move on. Otherwise the blanks are going to get filled in by everybody else. We donβt want that to happen. The last thing we want is for people who are innocent in this to get implicated. Thatβs the worst kind. If that means that AFL want to instigate a whistleblower policy, if you want to call it that, then I welcome it, because it (drugs) needs to be out of the sport.
Journalist: Itβs a very long time ago, but have you got any concerns about Shane Woewodinβs dealings with Steven Charter?
Voss: No. Thatβs a silly question. No I donβt.