AFL news 2025 | Eddie McGuire drug policy speech on Footy Classified; Paul Marsh comments; Bailey Smith Instagram post

AFL identity Eddie McGuire has launched a passionate plea for the competition’s drug policy to change in light of comments by outgoing AFLPA president Paul Marsh.

Marsh came out and defended Bailey Smith after the Geelong star’s controversial Instagram comment alluding to illicit drug use if his side wins the grand final.

He then took aim at people commenting on the AFL’s welfare-based illicit drug policy, comments many interpreted as a shot at McGuire, who has repeatedly called for change.

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“We’re certainly not condoning it,” Marsh said.

“(But) show us the evidence that a more punitive approach is actually going to improve outcomes on this issue.

“What can get frustrating is a lot of people who are not experts in this space and who have a whole lot of solutions based on nothing we believe makes any sense.

“We’re working with experts and we’ve got a behaviour-change approach to this that hopefully we’re not too far away from agreeing upon so it can be announced.”

The current three-strike policy involves players remaining anonymous before identification and a four-game suspension. The third strike could lead to a 12-month ban.

McGuire wants punitive action players “should be named”. Nick Riewoldt has also called the AFL’s current policy “outdated”.

Speaking on Nine’s Footy Classified, McGuire launched into a passionate four-minute speech on the matter, claiming Smith was “making idiots” of the AFL with his actions.

(Watch the full comments in the video above)

“I tell you what I am, I’m sick of going to funerals,” he said.

“I’m sick of watching people, their careers go. I’m sick of clubs being exploded because of these situations.

“I’m sick of players putting themselves in harm’s way with nefarious activities which will lead to players getting fixed up as far as, match fixing’s concerned. Umpires who take, who get involved in drugs, and don’t think that doesn’t happen.”

McGuire complained players who self-reported received no punishment while those caught on matchday faced far sterner consequences.

He also praised the AFL and AFLPA for putting a priority on empathy for players and the medical approach to it but said “we’re long past it”.

“I think the community has now said enough, we have to have some parameters, and whether that is on the streets or anywhere else, OK, and that’s what we need to do now,” he said.

“We can’t just keep going down this path. It’s not working. Every other week, another player gets themselves into a complete shemozzle.”

Pressed on Marsh’s comments on expert opinions, McGuire continued by describing situations he’s seen during his time in the AFL.

“I’ll tell you what I’m an expert on, right? I don’t know how many people have had two blokes sit on their couch, perspiring almost to dissolving themselves because they’ve been found guilty of taking a drug that was laced, and they get two years,” he said.

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“And I’m sitting there with Gary Pert, Neil Balme and two young Collingwood players and their lives on the line, and we go, yep, we’ll look after you, we’ll get you through the whole situation. Not what the PA say that clubs will burn you and all that. No one at football clubs wants to burn people unless you deserve to be kicked out of the club.

“So I do take umbrage at that, because I’ve sat there and watched it, and as I said, I’ve been to too many funerals. I’ve seen too many players. It’s happening every other week. Wake up and smell the roses for god’s sake. The community does not want to cop this anymore.

“If there’s one thing that the AFL can stand up and do in life is be against drugs. It’s killing our community, it’s killing football clubs in the suburbs, it’s killing them in the country, it’s into the women’s group. As I said, it’s everywhere.”

The former Collingwood president said he brought up the drug policy situation in 1999 at a presidents meeting with the AFL commission.

McGuire ended with a final pointed message.

“There’s three things in life that you live by if you want to be successful. Don’t do drugs, don’t do drugs, don’t do drugs,” he said.

“And you can line up every expert from here to Timbuktu to come and argue that point with me.

“You reckon doing drugs is good? Come and see me.”