'Alarm bell' that exposed Brownlow Medal scandal

2 years ago 99

The AFL's Brownlow Medal scandal, which has seen an umpire arrested aft suspicious betting patterns emerged, "beggars belief" according to Nine sports presenter Tony Jones.

Field umpire Michael Pell is 1 of 4 men arrested by police implicit allegations of leaking accusation aft a betting bureau flagged the suspicious bets with the AFL. No charges person been laid.

The AFL confirmed successful a connection the bets being investigated related to round-by-round votes.

Speaking connected Nine's Today, Jones said the full incidental came arsenic a shock.

"It conscionable beggars content however we are adjacent having this conversation," helium said.

"The process is rather simple. The umpires, astatine the extremity of the game, get unneurotic and they formed their 3-2-1 (votes), they virtually enactment them successful an envelope. The envelope is sealed, presumably they motion the backmost of that seal, that's past dispatched off-site, not housed astatine the AFL, nether fastener and key.

"We don't spot them again until Brownlow Medal night.

"It shouldn't happen, and the lone mode it tin hap is if 1 of the whistleblowers is simply a whistleblower." That is the allegation presently facing Pell.

Jones said determination was nary suggestions the 2022 Brownlow Medal, won by Carlton's Patrick Cripps, was compromised, explaining the spot betting allegations being investigated by police.

"What you tin bash is really stake connected each round," helium said.

"This is purely hypothetical, accidental in circular 9 Collingwood played Melbourne and Joe Bloggs is fixed 3 votes.

"That accusation has presumably past been passed connected to the others who tin past spot a stake connected that peculiar circular and cleanable up."

Jones pointed retired that the allegations are peculiarly surprising, fixed the fig of checks successful place.

"The betting agencies person their ain integrity units, and the alarm doorbell started ringing. The betting agencies past speech to each different and say, 'yep, we've noticed the aforesaid pattern'," helium explained.

"They spell to the AFL, who spell to their integrity portion and the police, and that's however it each unfolded."

In 2019 the AFL banned Collingwood's Jaidyn Stephenson for 22 matches, of which 12 were suspended, and handed him a $20,000 good for betting connected Magpies matches.

Jones believes that if the allegations are proven true, the sanctions for anyone progressive volition beryllium overmuch much severe.

"As it stands astatine the moment, the past happening they privation is each different umpire successful the contention to person this acheronian unreality hanging implicit them, which should not beryllium the case, due to the fact that we've ne'er had a concern similar this before."

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