FORMER AFL star Peter Bell fears the league will become a laughing stock if Essendon champion Jobe Watson is not hit with heavy sanctions for his confession to taking banned substances through injections last season.

Bell, a dual North Melbourne premiership star and former Fremantle captain, says Watson should be stood down for a full AFL hearing into the Bombers captain’s revelations made on Fox Footy’s popular On the Couch program.



Bell said the AFL’s silence and failure to act with action against Watson was embarrassing on the world sporting stage.



“There may well be a defence that we are not aware of,” Bell said on Perth radio 6PR.



“But if he is cleared and there is not a legitimate defence that will reduce, in the eyes of international sport, the AFL to a laughing stock.”



Bell called for action from AFL authorities as the industry continues to debate Essendon’s alleged drugs use campaign.



Watson rocked AFL and Australian sporting circles when he confessed to taking injections of a banned anti-obesity drug not passed for human consumption last season in the first public admission that Essendon players had been involved in a substantial performance enhancing medical program.



A full investigation from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority has been under ways since February when Essendon officials first confessed to potential misuse of chemicals with their players.



Bell described the possible outcome confronting Essendon and the league through a lengthy investigation into banned performance enhancing drugs last year has the potential to be the biggest disgrace ever to hit the AFL.



“The silence from the AFL is deafening,” he declared.



“You are running our competition that we all are stakeholders in, whatever your agenda is and I understand due process.



“Due process is out the window right now because of Jobe Watson’s admission.



“It is embarrassing the AFL. I need to hear from the AFL.”



Bell slammed authorities for not taking action once the reigning Brownlow medallist had gone public with his confession and breached an on-going Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority inquiry into Essendon’s substance use allegations from late 2011 and into last AFL season.



“For a guy to openly confess that he had taken an illegal substance against the rules under the WADA code, he should have been an infraction and stood down straight away and an opportunity for him to get out and give his defence should have been made,” Bell said.



“There’s no way in my opinion and I have got a lot of admiration for Jobe Watson and I sympathise with him a lot under the circumstances that I understand.



“But it is clear cut absolutely clear cut that there should be a hearing right now.”



Bell retired from playing midway through 2008 after 163 games at Fremantle and 123 with North Melbourne where he played in the 1996 and ’99 flag wining outfits.



He was president of the influential AFL Player’s Association from 2003-07.

