former Saints and Bombers star Brendon Goddard has spoken out about the Essendon doping saga of 2012, claiming that it "destroyed" the players mental wellbeing.
In 2016, 34 Essendon players both past and present were suspended from the competition for a year after the club admitted prohibited substance Thymosin Beta-4 to the playing group in 2012.
Speaking on SEN's This Is Your Sporting Life, Goddard highlighted the long term effects that the saga has had on the players who were caught in the middle of the controversy.
โItโs staggering when you go back and think about what happened at the time and how long it dragged out," he said.
โWhen I look back on it, it destroyed a number of men.
โWe know about Hirdy (James Hird) and his struggles, but thereโs some guys out there that were fighting at the time and it probably had a long term effect on them mentally that we probably didnโt know about, because they were hiding it and didnโt want to talk about it."
Goddard joined the Bombers at the end of 2012 and wasn't one of the players banned by the AFL.
He exclaimed that the club would bounce back, but the footy world should be looking after the wellbeing of the players affected.
โDonโt worry about the footy club, the footy will bounce back because of the supporters and its rich history of success, but a lot of the individuals that were involved have been scarred for life.โ
