Footy star Brandon Jack admits to taking cocaine – and explains why nobody should be surprised that some of the AFL’s biggest names also snort the drug
- Brandon Jack says players using cocaine should come as no surprise
- Former football player admits to using the drug during and after his career
- Says more than a million other Australians are also using the drug
Former Sydney Swan Brandon Jack has confessed to using cocaine and says it is only natural for AFL players to be caught with the drug as it has infiltrated every part of Australian society.
Jack, the son of NRL legend Garry and the younger brother of ex-Swans captain Kieren, retired at the age of 23 after five seasons with the club.
He has also criticized the ‘shallow’ process by which players caught with the drug are forced into rehabilitation programmes.
Former Swan Brandon Jack has spoken out about AFL players’ cocaine use – and criticized the way stars are forced into rehabilitation programs after being caught with the drug
Cocaine trafficking allegations against Demons star Joel Smith (pictured) spurred Jack to say the drug is so widespread in Australia that no one should be surprised if big stars are busted with it.
The 29-year-old’s message comes after Melbourne Demons star Joel Smith was charged with trafficking cocaine after allegedly recording a positive test for the substance at the end of last season.
‘In light of the Joel Smith situation, people are wondering if the AFL has a drug problem,” he wrote The age.
‘As a former player, my answer to this is that AFLM (male) players use cocaine. AFLW players use cocaine. Local football players use cocaine. Just like teachers, lawyers and doctors.
‘According to research by the federal government over a million Australians used cocaine in 2019. Many people have touched cocaine at some point in their lives.
“I involve myself in this, both during and since my AFL career.”
Jack says that when a player is caught with an illegal drug, he is forced into a perfunctory process to protect the reputation of the sport.
Jack doesn’t believe the AFL has a ‘drug problem’ – and people need to get over it when players like Bulldogs star Bailey Smith are caught with illegal substances (pictured)
‘A footballer is caught with an illegal substance (cocaine, it’s always cocaine), we get some superficial comments about zero tolerance and club culture, and hear about rehabilitation programs and off-field support that we can all (and should) support. eyes,” he said.
Jack believes most of these players only deserve a slap on the wrist for doing coke – and there is no real ‘drug problem’ within the AFL.
He said if people want to see real stories about addiction, they should attend a Narcotics Anonymous meeting and listen to stories about how drugs have destroyed people’s lives.
“These are the consequences of a drug problem,” he says.
“Their suffering cannot be compared to the stupidity of a young man in the public eye who is caught consuming a drug that a large number of Australians also indulge in from time to time.”
Smith (pictured playing in 2023) is now under police investigation over Sport Integrity Australia’s drug allegations
Jack went out of his way to clarify that suspended Melbourne player Joel Smith’s situation is a little different from other scandals as he reportedly tested positive on match day and was accused of giving the drug to others .
“No matter how many bad things footballers do, we will still find a way to shine a light on them and more often than not we prefer to live in ignorance of the things that are done behind closed doors,” Jack said.
‘We say we want transparency, but it happens through the fingers in front of our eyes.’
The National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2022-2023 found that cocaine was the second most used illicit drug in the country, after cannabis.
That report found that 4.5 percent of Australians aged 14 and over had used cocaine in the past 12 months.