Veteran AFL journalist Mike Sheahan says former AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick’s comments about the Essendon drugs saga were “ill-considered” and lacked substance.
Fitzpatrick featured on Fox Footy’s Open Mike last night and revealed that he believed the substances the Bombers used during the 2012 season were “certainly performance enhancing” because he was told by an opposition player that he believed Essendon had done “five pre-seasons in one.”
The Carlton champions' response surprised Sheahan, considering he was the one who oversaw the protracted saga.
"The problem we had was when this debate was raging we had so many divergent views from the people we were entitled to listen to: Mark Robinson, Caroline Wilson, Patrick Smith and Chip Le Grand," he told SEN Afternoons.
"I couldn’t get a common theme through any of those four so I’m still none the wiser when this all finished.
"I think 'Fitzy' was probably ill-considered last night when he used that example of a bloke from another club told me such and such.
"If I had have thrown that at him he would have said that’s hearsay and we wouldn’t be bothered with that sort of stuff.
"His answers did seem to be a bit willy-nilly and indecisive.
"I think people will be saying this is the bloke who’s been in charge for the body in this investigation for so long and they should be better equipped than anyone to know exactly what happened.
"There was so much speculation and innuendo about what was happening at the Bombers. It was an open question to 'Fitzy' to explain to me what Essendon did?
"And that elicited the answers that he gave. 'Fitzy’ has gone overseas so I think it was a pretty opportune to leave the country because he has been really savaged this morning."
Listen to Mike Sheahan discuss Mike Fitzpatrick's startling revelation in the player below