AFL greats Tim Watson and Garry Lyon have weighed in on the league's relationship with illicit drugs in the wake of the latest scandal involving Collingwood player Jack Ginnivan
Ginnivan, alongside another man, was filmed by a member of the public in a toilet cubicle in possession of a white illicit substance, following the club's pre-season camp last month.
Speaking on Radio SEN, Watson could not understand why any professional athlete would risk their health and career by taking illicit drugs.
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However, the former Essendon captain did acknowledge the influence of the nation's wider drug culture, particularly the social acceptance in young adults.
"I think the world has sort of moved on. I think people out there are thinking that too much of an issue is made about drugs because they're conditioned to seeing so much drug use in general society," he said.
"Then they're thinking of course the players do what every other young person does or most young people do around that age bracket, and older too, and that is they participate in taking illegal substances.
"What worries me most about all of this is what it leads to, and the fact that you've got somebody on a footy camp who gets 12 hours or a day off and they think that the right thing to do or the thing that they want to do is participate in illegal drug taking."
Ginnivan's actions have raised questions around the players' education and training on illicit substances.
"They may have just had a lecture on diet and all things you need to put in your system. We need to make sure that we're careful about what we eat and we've got have our skin folds down, all that type of thing," Watson said.
"Then they go and put something in their body that they've got no idea of how it was controlled, how it was made, what it was cut with, where it was cut. The lack of safety and the issues around that, that beggars belief for me for somebody involved in an elite, professional training program and sport [to do that]."
"Is it too much in this day and age to expect that these privileged young men who find themselves in AFL football, in an elite competition who get paid well for what they do, and a lot of that money comes from fans - is it too much to expect that they don't behave as young men of the same age behave in general society?
"Is it too much to expect that you sign up to play AFL football and you don't take drugs?"
Lyon's judgment followed a similar pattern, quizzing Ginnivan's mindset while participating in a club camp.
"I'm thinking, 'Oh yeah, well, that happens, it's society and it won't be the last time'. Then I stop to think, 'He was on a training camp'," he said.
"It was a three-day training camp as I understand it. I'm not condoning any drug taking at all, but I'm thinking you're in the middle of a training camp and the first thing you do or can think of doing is to jump into a public toilet with a key full of ketamine.
"This isn't, let me have a couple of choofs of an old joint or something. This is diving at the deep end, isn't it? That's what I thought anyway."
Looking beyond Ginnivan, Lyon considered where the line should be drawn on taking illicit drugs when it is occurring out in the public.
"How many drugs are you allowed to take, then, before you become concerned if you're a teammate or a participant?," he said.
"I'm just interested to know where it sits. Is there an image problem or is the image just part of life these days? Is the AFL right to say we're not here to name and shame, we're here to help?
"Is this where it's at and is this what we've got to deal with?"
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AFL greats Tim Watson and Garry Lyon have weighed in on the league's relationship with illicit drugs in the wake of the latest scandal involving Collingwood player Jack Ginnivan
Ginnivan, alongside another man, was filmed by a member of the public in a toilet cubicle in possession of a white illicit substance, following the club's pre-season camp last month.
Speaking on Radio SEN, Watson could not understand why any professional athlete would risk their health and career by taking illicit drugs.
READ MORE: 'Awful' Dragons dogged by serious 'rift'
READ MORE: Under-fire coach hits out after Delhi debacle
READ MORE: Legend 'shocked' by Smith act in India loss
However, the former Essendon captain did acknowledge the influence of the nation's wider drug culture, particularly the social acceptance in young adults.
"I think the world has sort of moved on. I think people out there are thinking that too much of an issue is made about drugs because they're conditioned to seeing so much drug use in general society," he said.
"Then they're thinking of course the players do what every other young person does or most young people do around that age bracket, and older too, and that is they participate in taking illegal substances.
"What worries me most about all of this is what it leads to, and the fact that you've got somebody on a footy camp who gets 12 hours or a day off and they think that the right thing to do or the thing that they want to do is participate in illegal drug taking."
Ginnivan's actions have raised questions around the players' education and training on illicit substances.
"They may have just had a lecture on diet and all things you need to put in your system. We need to make sure that we're careful about what we eat and we've got have our skin folds down, all that type of thing," Watson said.
"Then they go and put something in their body that they've got no idea of how it was controlled, how it was made, what it was cut with, where it was cut. The lack of safety and the issues around that, that beggars belief for me for somebody involved in an elite, professional training program and sport [to do that]."
"Is it too much in this day and age to expect that these privileged young men who find themselves in AFL football, in an elite competition who get paid well for what they do, and a lot of that money comes from fans - is it too much to expect that they don't behave as young men of the same age behave in general society?
"Is it too much to expect that you sign up to play AFL football and you don't take drugs?"
Lyon's judgment followed a similar pattern, quizzing Ginnivan's mindset while participating in a club camp.
"I'm thinking, 'Oh yeah, well, that happens, it's society and it won't be the last time'. Then I stop to think, 'He was on a training camp'," he said.
"It was a three-day training camp as I understand it. I'm not condoning any drug taking at all, but I'm thinking you're in the middle of a training camp and the first thing you do or can think of doing is to jump into a public toilet with a key full of ketamine.
"This isn't, let me have a couple of choofs of an old joint or something. This is diving at the deep end, isn't it? That's what I thought anyway."
Looking beyond Ginnivan, Lyon considered where the line should be drawn on taking illicit drugs when it is occurring out in the public.
"How many drugs are you allowed to take, then, before you become concerned if you're a teammate or a participant?," he said.
"I'm just interested to know where it sits. Is there an image problem or is the image just part of life these days? Is the AFL right to say we're not here to name and shame, we're here to help?
"Is this where it's at and is this what we've got to deal with?"
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here
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