The infamous supplements saga that rocked Essendon has “destroyed” players and left them “scarred for life”, according to former captain Brendon Goddard.
34 Bombers players - past and present - were suspended for 12 months in 2016 after it was found the banned peptide Thymosin Beta-4 was administered to players through the club’s supplements program in 2012.
Goddard, who joined Essendon from St Kilda at the end of 2012, still can’t believe the protracted nature of the inquiry that ultimately found the players guilty of doping offences.
“It’s staggering when you go back and think about what happened at the time and how long it dragged out,” he told SEN's This Is Your Sporting Life thanks to Tobin Brothers Funerals.
“When I look back on it, it destroyed a number of men.
“We know about Hirdy (James Hird) and his struggles, but there’s some guys out there that were fighting at the time and it probably had a long term effect on them mentally that we probably didn’t know about, because they were hiding it and didn’t want to talk about it.
“Don’t 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.”
Goddard retired at the end of 2018 after six turbulent seasons at the Bombers.
The former Saint and former No.1 draft pick played 334 games with 129 of those in the red and black.