AFL must explain when it knew this drug was cleared The case against Essendon looks even more shambolic - and I'm astonished such a critical fact comes out only now, more than six months after the announcement of "the blackest day in Australian sport": A member of the AFL's Anti-Doping Tribunal says ASADA had told him that the AOD-9604 anti-obesity drug, central to the supplements saga at AFL club Essendon, was not a banned substance. The Bombers are under investigation from ASADA regarding their use of supplements in 2012 and skipper Jobe Watson has admitted in a television interview he took what he believed to be AOD-9604, but he felt he had not broken any anti-doping rules. Sports medicine specialist Andrew Garnham said on Tuesday he had asked ASADA in February 2013 about the status of AOD-9604 in his capacity as a member of the AFL's Anti-Doping Tribunal... The advice that I had at that time was that AOD-9604 was considered under section S2 of the anti-doping code and was regarded as not prohibited. I'm aware that other people within the AFL had been in contact with ASADA. I'm not sure exactly what time period. Asked if AOD-9604 was a prohibited substance according to ASADA when he inquired in February 2013, Dr Garnham said: "At that point in time, no." "There was some discussion with people in the AFL and also at that stage I'd been in contact with members of the Essendon Football Club," Dr Garnham added. How many AFL officials knew ASADA was giving such advice? Why was this not revealed much, much sooner? Why has the AFL sought instead to engage in what seems to be almost blackmail of Essendon to make officials confess to something, anything? I agree the program of injections of supplements at Essendon may have been too experimental and ill-documented to be considered responsible. But that is not what the main allegations against the club has been for so long. This is one scandal where the authorities may have more to answer for than the accused.