The AFL says it is "unapologetic" about its illicit drugs policy amid claims the league conducted off-the-books drug testing of players to help them avoid failing tests on match days.
There has been fresh fall out, with insiders alleging around 100 current players have been granted secret immunity from the league's three strike drug policy.
Australian Independent MP Andrew Wilkie used parliamentary privilege to make the allegations accusing the AFL and the Melbourne Demons club of aiding illicit drug use.
Wilkie said the allegations were provided by former Melbourne football club president Glen Bartlett; former Melbourne football club doctor Zeeshan Arain; and Shaun Smith, father of Melbourne player and now alleged drug trafficker Joel Smith.
The MP alleged players testing positive for illicit drugs were often asked to fake injuries to cover up their result.
"They are advised to lie about their condition, while the results of the off-the-book tests are kept secret and never shared with Sports Integrity Australia or WADA," he said.t
"In other words, hundreds of thousands of Australians will watch the game, not knowing that the game has been secretly manipulated by the AFL."
Wilkie said he was told the problem was widespread in the sport.
"This isn't just a Melbourne problem; it's an AFL problem, with multiple players coming to Melbourne from other teams with pre-existing cocaine dependencies, more than suggesting that drug testing workarounds are in fact commonplace elsewhere in the AFL."
‘No illicit drug problem in AFL’ – AFL boss
AFL boss Andrew Dillon defended the league’s decision to pre-test players before game days and said testing for illicit drugs by club doctors had been part of the AFL's illicit drugs policy since 2005.
"We are unapologetic about club and AFL doctors taking the correct steps to ensure that any player who they believe has an illicit substance in their system does not take place in any AFL match," he said.
"The doctor patient confidentiality is upheld and respected."
Dillon did not directly address claims made by Wilkie that players who had tested positive faked injuries to cover up test results, but said the league was reviewing its policy.
AFL legend and former Collingwood coach, Mick Malthouse, and Essendon great, Matthew Lloyd, told A Current Affair they were disappointed with the AFL’s response.
"This is a game that should go forward not backwards," Malthouse said.
"Personally, I reckon there will be a lot of sponsorship that will be in question."
Lloyd said he thought the clubs needed to be "far stronger".
"The players are earning half $1 million each on average. Some players are earning $1.2 million or $1.3 million," he said.
"They've got plenty of money, they've got plenty of people hanging around them and the repercussions just aren't strong enough."
Sports Integrity Australia announced it will be investigating the allegations made by Wilkie.
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