THE Australian Football League has moved to distance itself from the sudden death of former star player Chris Mainwaring, as an autopsy on the 41-year-old is expected to confirm the presence of drugs in his system.

The development comes as the Federal Government is preparing to launch a compulsory illicit drug testing regime, to be implemented across all sports by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority. The new one-strike scheme is expected to be announced later this week and be up and running by the end of the year.

But the AFL has indicated it will be sticking to its contentious three-strikes policy, and was not planning any review until the current agreement with the AFL Players' Association expired in 2009. Yesterday, AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said Mainwaring had been a media identity for eight years, "and we don't drug-test the media". Keane said there were no special meetings planned with West Coast in light of Mainwaring's death.

He said the AFL continued to test West Coast players "all the time" under its illicit drugs policy and said there was no reason to have further talks with the club because Mainwaring was not a current player. Mainwaring had close connections to board members, the coach, current and former Eagles players and was an official selector for the All Australian and Rising Star AFL teams.

He also had a history of drug issues stemming back to his playing days.

Keane said no players had tested positive three times, and the names of players who had tested positive once or twice would not be released.

Mainwaring was one of West Coast's most celebrated identities, who made the switch from footballer to television personality, and his death, just hours after a visit from friend and recovering drug addict Ben Cousins, has reignited questions about the drug culture at the club and broader AFL circles.

In the past year, there have been scandals surrounding Cousins, an assault conviction against star midfielder Daniel Kerr, a mysterious, off-season near-death experience involving Chad Fletcher, and revelations some West Coast players may have been dealing in drugs and associating with known criminals.

Yesterday, Eagles chief executive Trevor Nisbett denied there was a drug culture in the club. "We recognised late last year the problems we had in the club with the current players' group," he said. "Chris's situation is obviously entirely different."

Nisbett said Mainwaring had been a significant influence on Cousins, encouraging him to seek treatment for substance abuse earlier in the year, and alluded to Mainwaring's arrest for possession of cannabis in 1993.

"Chris may have experienced it [drugs] in a former life and consequently he was trying to help a friend at the start of the year," Nisbett said. "And when he was going through some personal problems recently, Ben was trying to return the favour."

Mainwaring's death has heightened concern for Cousins. Nisbett said: "I spoke to Ben yesterday. He was absolutely devastated. He had been with Chris the day before … and thought he was fine at about 10pm on Sunday.

"There's been a lot of rumour and innuendo about Ben since footy finished, but I can say he's in great shape. He's been doing everything we've asked of him. We were very concerned about him yesterday. He was with his dad trying to come to terms with what had happened."

Nisbett said the Eagles board was considering retiring the No.3 jumper out of respect to Mainwaring. Departing captain Chris Judd has worn the same number throughout the past six years.

Coach John Worsfold hosted a gathering of Mainwaring's former teammates and associates on Monday. "It's about friendship and sticking together and being mates," Worsfold said. "We're going to sorely miss him."

■ St Kilda president Rod Butterss and fellow directors Glen Casey, Mark Kellett, Andrew Bassat and Ray King have quit the club, AAP reports.

Their departure paves the way for Greg Westaway's St Kilda Footy First group to take the reins in what amounts to a bloodless coup.

In a statement, Westaway commended Butterss for "listening to the St Kilda faithful and deciding to stand down" to make way for a "new, fresh and exciting regime".