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Essendon plead guilty to charges

Essendon Football Club has admitted it failed to provide a safe workplace during their supplements program.

Representatives for the Bombers, on Monday in the Melbourne Magistrates Court, indicated the club would plead guilty to two offences under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, including “failing to provide and maintain for employees a working environment … safe and without risks to health”.

The charges relate specifically to Essendon using substances on players without consulting the official team doctor or receiving adequate consent from the players themselves.

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The club faces a maximum $305,350 fine but no players or officials will be sanctioned.

It’s not the first time Essendon has been punished for its experimental supplements program, initiated in 2011.

In 2013, the Bombers was fined $2 million and banned from playing in the finals.

Coach James Hird was also suspended for one year for his part in the program.

In 2014, the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) found 34 Essendon players not guilty of using banned substances.

The World Anti-Doping Authority is currently appealing that finding.

Essendon will officially plead guilty to the charges when they appear in court again on December 22.

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