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AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has defended the severity of the ban handed to Greater Western Sydneys Lachie Whitfield. Tres Barrera Jersey .The former No.1 draft pick will miss the first seven games of the 2017 season after accepting a six-month AFL ban on Tuesday.The fallout was more far-reaching for former Giants staffers - football boss Graeme Allan and welfare manager Craig Lambert - who were banned for 12 months.The trio was investigated after Whitfield spent three days at Lamberts house, with the knowledge of Allan, in May last year in an alleged bid to avoid a possible drug test, which is a violation of the anti-doping code.However, in a move ticked off by ASADA, the AFL instead handed bans down for a breach of its own rule 2.3 concerning conduct unbecoming.All three had maintained throughout that Whitfield was simply seeking help as he went through a messy relationship break-up.I think when you get a six-month suspension thats acknowledgement that you have transgressed and you have behaved in a way that wasnt right, McLachlan said.I think six months is a reasonably significant suspension.Hes a ... kid who took advice from his supervisors, the people who were looking after him, so theres a different allocation of responsibility.Whitfield will be barred from using GWS facilities for four months before returning to train for the final two months of his ban while not being allowed to play.He will be cleared to return in the Giants round eight clash against Collingwood at Spotless Stadium.Allan, who was installed as general manager of football at Collingwood in August, quit his post in response to the suspension.Lambert has since moved on to a similar post with Brisbane and will miss the entire 2017 season.In a damning assessment, the AFL investigation found Whitfield sent incriminating text messages to a third party, the contents of which he subsequently denied.In those texts he stated he had taken illicit drugs, was staying at Lamberts house to avoid ASADA drug testers and was doing so under instruction from Allan and Lambert, who feared the drugs may have been laced with performance-enhancing substances.Much harsher bans could have been brought into play if ASADA had pursued the trio for a breach of the anti-doping code.McLachlan said there was no evidence or even allegations Whitfield had anything to do with performance-enhancing drugs, with the league taking into account that all three men had elected to plead guilty and not contest the charges.The league is yet to decide whether GWS will be penalised with a loss of draft picks, with AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon to consider that possibility in the coming days.The Giants, however, believe their club is not at fault over the issue.It has been established that former senior staff acted outside of their authority in managing circumstances and taking matters into their own hands, a club statement read.Their handling of the matter was independent of the club and did not conform with the clearly established club protocols, thus in no way relating to a governance failure on behalf of the club. Washington Nationals Gear . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. Andrew Stevenson Jersey .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. https://www.cheapnationals.com/1617r-how...-nationals.html . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. CINCINNATI -- Billy Hamilton didnt use up all of his speed to beat the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.He had enough left to avoid the media after the game.Hamilton wasnt around to talk about dashing home on All-Star Jonathan Lucroys passed ball with two outs in the ninth inning, giving the Cincinnati Reds a 1-0 win over Milwaukee.Manager Bryan Price was more than happy to talk about the disruptive Hamilton.Billy is that guy, Price said. He affects the game. He changes the look of the game. He creates a lot of anxiety on the basepaths. That ball didnt get that far away from Lucroy. That ability of his to start and stop creates the opportunity.The speedy Hamilton drew a two-out walk from Tyler Thornburgh (3-3). Left-hander Will Smith relieved and walked Joey Votto.Hamilton stole third with Jay Bruce hitting, setting up the game-winning play. Smiths curveball glanced off Lucroys glove as Bruce swung and missed and rolled away to the catchers left.The ball didnt even reach the dirt track near the visitors dugout, but still was plenty far enough away for Hamilton to score easily.Thats what speed does, Smith said. It makes you freak out.It was originally scored as a wild pitch, then changed to a passed ball.The pitchers deserve better, Lucroy said. (Starter Zach) Davies deserved better. That cant happen. Thats minor league stuff right there. I shouldve caught it. If its in the air and I get a glove on it, Ive got to catch it.Tony Cingrani (2-2) pitched a perfect ninth for the win.Davies and Cincinnati starter Dan Straily each pitched seven impressive innings.Straily, who was 1-4 over his last five starts, gave up three hits, walked one and struck out four. He set down nine straight batters in one stretch and didnt allow a runner to reach second base until the sixth, when Jonathan Villar led off with a walk and stole his major league-leading 33rd base.Villar went to third on catcher Tucker Barnharts throwing error, but Lucroy grounded out to end the threat.I was able to throw my fastball where I wanted to, when I wanted to, Straily said. I felt good. The All-Star break is designed to allow us to refresh, and I really felt good today.Davies, recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs before the game, allowed four hits with no walks and five strikeoutss. Gerardo Parra Jersey. The Reds got two hits on his first three pitches, putting runners at first and third, but Davies escaped.Four of his five strikeouts were called and he fielded four balls, only one hit sharply.Thats a really good example of knowing when Im locating and mixing it up, Davies said. I know its going right when theyre taking pitches and not getting good swings on balls.Milwaukee put runners at first and second with two outs in the eighth against Michael Lorenzen, but Ryan Braun grounded out.NOT SO FASTReds rookie Jose Peraza was caught stealing second by Lucroy with one out in the second inning. Peraza was 13-for-13 in his brief career going into the game, including 10-for-10 this season.STRUGGLING SUAREZReds 3B Eugenio Suarez went 1 for 3, leaving him 4 for 32 (.125) since his seven-game hitting streak was snapped on July 3 at Miami.CONSISTENT STREAKERVillar went 0 for 3 to see his hitting streak snapped at seven games, his fourth streak of that length this season. Seven games is his season high.POWER OUTAGEReds pitching was able to keep Braun in the ballpark for the entire three-game series, a rare luxury. The Milwaukee left fielder went into the series with 32 homers against Cincinnati, more than against any other team, and 19 at Great American Ball Park, more than at any other location.TRAINERS ROOMBrewers: OF Hernan Perez didnt play, but manager Craig Counsell said he was available off the bench a day after leaving with a sore left foot, the result of a foul tip.Reds: RHP Caleb Cotham, whos been on the disabled list since May 31 with right shoulder inflammation, reported no problems after throwing 13 pitches, nine for strikes, in one inning of a rehab assignment with Double-A Pensacola on Saturday.UP NEXTBrewers: After a day off Monday, Milwaukee plays the first of 16 second-half games against the Pirates. RHP Chase Anderson (4-10) is the Brewers scheduled starter in the opener of a three-game series in Pittsburgh.Reds: Atlanta comes to town for a three-game series between the teams with the worst records in the majors. LHP Brandon Finnegan (4-7) is Cincinnatis scheduled starter in Mondays opener. ' ' '