Integrity has been the AFL's buzz word for 2011.
After all, trust is an important element for any sport on a marketing drive.
If the punters think your competition is a bit dodgy - and with all apologies to WWE - then they are going to take their faith to another venue.
That is why the AFL was at pains to highlight the drop in positive drug tests earlier this season. The league wants to be considered one of cleanest competitions in the world. When it comes to players, no-one should have the unfair advantage.
In recent times, AFL House has made examples of those who have bet on matches. Remember, Sydney's Kieren Jack was reprimanded for placing two $5 wagers on matches not involving his Swans.
Only last year AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson said on sanctioning others for gambling on games, "'(The penalties) may seem in some cases to be more than people may expect, but you cannot underestimate the importance of protecting the integrity of our game."
There's that word again.
So it has been hard to reconcile that level of integrity with what happened in the AFL this week.
