A Victoria University professor has called on the AFL and NRL to reform the employment criteria of club medical staff after it was revealed that former Essendon staffer Stephen Dank was not actually an accredited sports scientist.
Dank, who was relieved of his duties by the Bombers late last year, is a central figure to an AFL-ASADA (Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority) investigation into allegations that Essendon players were supplied with prohibited supplements in 2012.
Dank has also worked at the Gold Coast Suns as well as NRL sides Manly and Cronulla where his stint was short-lived due to concerns over players using the blood-thinning tablet Warfarin.
Suspended Essendon high performance manager Dean Robinson worked alongside Dank at both the Suns and Sea Eagles.
Professor David Bishop, a board member of Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) and sport research leader at Victoria University, said the time had come for both codes to raise employment standards.
"While the news media has mistakenly labelled Mr Dank as a 'sport scientist', there is no record of him being an accredited sports scientist or having professional membership with ESSA," Bishop said.
"In the absence of a professional alignment, he cannot be disciplined or deregistered by ESSA, which is the peak professional body for the exercise and sports science industry.
"ESSA takes the accreditation we bestow very seriously. We require our accredited sports scientists to meet rigorous education and training standards and to abide by high levels of professional conduct and ethics.
"At this time, we call upon the AFL and NRL to use this potentially wide-reaching investigation as an opportunity to raise the standards and only employ 'sport scientists' that meet the accreditation standards required by ESSA across its clubs.
"This would provide an industry standard and quality control measures, via the clear identification of those who meet professional practice standards.
"Accredited sports scientists would be bound by ESSA's code of ethics, and unprofessional conduct could result in disciplinary procedures against individuals."
Bishop said ESSA would be pleased to work with the AFL and NRL 'to ensure that their sport scientists' code of ethics meets the rapidly-change sporting landscape'.