Collingwood Magpies boss denies the AFL club has a drug problem in the wake of Jack Ginnivan’s ban

Collingwood’s football boss has denied the club has a drug problem in the wake of Jack Ginnivan’s ban and a series of cases involving players using illicit substances over the years.

Graham Wright, a club legend turned chief footballer who has served as the club’s interim chief executive until recently, spoke to reporters on Sunday morning after Ginnivan’s indiscretion broke the night before.

The polarizing forward, who is apparently both a fan favorite and a villain at the same time, has been suspended for two games after video surfaced of him alongside another man in a toilet stall on Australia Day with an illicit substance. white in a key

The incident occurred while Ginnivan was in Torquay with friends and teammates in January, after the Magpies’ pre-season training camp, when a member of the public filmed him in a pub toilet.

Wright believes that Ginnivan’s drug use is an “isolated incident” and denies that the AFL club has a major problem with illicit substances.

Ginnivan has rarely been out of the headlines over the past 12 months for incidents on and off the field, including dressing as serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer (left) and qualifying for the women’s with teammate Isaac Quaynor.

That’s despite the fact that fellow Magpies Sam Murray, Lachie Keeffe and Josh Thomas went on lengthy suspensions as a result of drug use, along with a host of other ugly off-field incidents in recent seasons, several of which involved Ginnivan or bad boy Jordan. from Goey.

Former CEO Gary Pert once said he felt drugs and the “volcanic” behavior of some players in the off-season were the club’s and league’s biggest problem, and was part of a big push for clubs and league will address the problem.

For his part, Wright would not confirm media reports that the substance was ketamine, but said he thinks the Magpies are in a good place when it comes to drug use, saying the club doesn’t think “it’s a big problem”.

“We absolutely feel like we’re (in a good place),” Wright told reporters on Sunday.

“I think this is an isolated incident and that is the way we are dealing with it. It’s not a pattern of behavior at all for him or anyone else at the club.

Jack Ginnivan, pictured trying to show off his biceps at Magpies training last year, said he was “really sorry” that he did the wrong thing.

When asked if drug use is a problem for the AFL as a whole, Wright deflected, preferring to insist that it was not a problem in Collingwood.

“I hope it wasn’t a major problem, but the players are part of society and drugs are part of society,” he said.

“We certainly hope our players don’t engage in illicit drugs, but I don’t think it’s a big problem in competition and we certainly don’t think it is here.”

The video of Ginnivan using the illicit drug, taken at a Torquay hotel on a players’ day off after a pre-season training camp at Victoria’s Surf Coast, surfaced when it was offered to a media outlet.

Wright said Collingwood became aware of the incident on Thursday night and informed the AFL’s Integrity Unit, which interviewed Ginnivan and found the player guilty of improper conduct.

Ginnivan was struck out under the league’s illegal drug policy and has also been suspended for two games.

It will cost the 20-year-old his match payments, while also having a $5000 fine suspended over his head. Wright said Ginnivan’s contract is highly dependent on game pay, making it a more significant blow to him than other players.

Jack Ginnivan tries to silence the crowd after scoring a goal in the team’s ANZAC blockbuster against Essendon, for which he won man of the match.

Ginnivan has been photographed hanging out with friends and posting on social media during the offseason, including traveling to Europe with his teammates.

“Obviously he loses his spot in the early rounds and we’re not quite sure when he’s going to come in, so it’s a significant cost to him,” he said.

“Jack’s money isn’t guaranteed, he actually has to play, so it’s a big fine (believed to be around $15,000) for him overall. He will be missed, but obviously someone else will have to step up.

He is not eligible to play in Collingwood’s preseason practice games or at the VFL level during his suspension.

Ginnivan confessed to his drug use when clashing with Collingwood and AFL leaders, later apologizing for his “poor decision-making” via a club statement; and he pointed to the person who filmed it.

“I went into the cubicle and obviously took an illicit substance… I’m really sorry,” he said.

‘Obviously a few drinks, a lack of judgment at the time. I can’t really speak to why I did it. When I walked into the bathroom, I didn’t think someone would be filming me.

The incident sees Ginnivan take his first hit under the AFL’s illicit drugs policy. It means that he will be tested this year, he will accept a $5000 suspension fine and a two-game ban.

A second strike results in a four-game suspension ($5,000 fine) and the player’s name is made public, and the third incurs an extended 12-game suspension and a $10,000 fine.

Interestingly, a player can self-report drug use and avoid a strike by undergoing a medical program. Club management and coaches are also not informed of a first strike, with only the player’s club doctor and AFL medical directors being aware of it.

After the high-profile Bulldog Bailey Smith white powder incident last year, trainer Luke Beveridge said the controversial policy should ‘go away’ because ‘none of us really feel like it works’.

Those sentiments were echoed on Sunday by former Victorian Premier and current Hawks veteran Jeff Kennett following Ginnivan’s ban.

“I have always thought that the AFL’s drug policy is inappropriate and insufficient,” he told 7News.

The club needs to be properly informed, not just the doctor, but also the president so that the club and the doctor can take care of it and hopefully make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“It doesn’t make sense to wait until the player is named to the club as strike three … the club bears the responsibility for strike one,” Kennett said.

Former Victorian premier and Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has said the league’s drug policy is “insufficient” following the Ginnivan incident.

Ginnivan has often found himself in the spotlight since his debut in 2021 and won the Anzac Day Medal for an impressive five-goal performance against Essendon last year.

He scored 40 goals in an outstanding second season in 2022, playing a key role in Collingwood’s strong rise to a preliminary final.

But the Livewire striker has also been criticized for ducking his head to take free kicks and admitted last year that the fierce scrutiny over his approach to the game had taken a toll on his mental health.

“These are Jack’s private issues around his mental health…but in this case he said it had nothing to do with any of his actions in this regard,” Wright said when asked about the reasoning behind the incident.

“He’s made it his own from that point of view, but that’s ongoing, dealing with our psychologist and our other medical people.” But in this case it was not a problem.

Ginnivan will miss at least the first two games of the season (tough games against Geelong and Port Adelaide) and faces a fight for his place in the team alongside the likes of new recruit Bobby Hill.