An open letter to James Hird

Dear Hirdy, we have a lot in common, you and I. Sure, you live in Melbourne and I live in Sydney.

You played professional football at the top level, two time premiership player, Brownlow medallist, Norm Smith medallist, member of the Essendon team of the century, five time W.S Crichton medal winner, five time all Australian and AFL hall of Famer, have a job and sponsorships worth hundreds of thousands, if not millions a year, coach at the top level, plus you have a really nice house (I’ve seen a bit of it on the TV each morning when you’re on your way to work).

Me, I’m a stay at home dad looking after two kids, with no sporting prowess, living in western Sydney.

Maybe not so much in common. Except for a resounding need to be right. Go ahead, ask my wife.

Having watched the news from before the start of the season, I couldn’t help but notice there has been a bit of a kerfuffle about your club and the sports science part of the club.

Sure it didn’t help when the came out with the ‘darkest day in Aussie sport’ and it got worse when the Essendon football club was outed as the main (only?) offender in the AFL.

Then the rumours and information started to flow. You were injecting drugs, no peptides, no definitely steroid-ing it up. But then anti-obesity drugs that were banned, then not, then not safe for humans, then ok according to WADA.

That you personally were injecting, had suffered side effect, grown a second head, had it removed and grown a third leg and kept it.

Jobe Watson certainly didn’t help the cause when he said he was injected on national TV.

Been offered a plea deal, asked to step down, told to step down, told to stay and fight.

Now you and three mates have been charged by the AFL for bringing the game into disrepute. That’s the same charge the junkie Ben Cousins got! You’re fighting it with everything you’ve got, sticking it to the man.

Personally, I don’t know what happened, and really I don’t care. Legal, not legal, banned, not banned. I just want this to be all over, it’ s been going on for far too long and I think the rest of the AFL world want this to be over.

But now you’re fighting the AFL to have an independent hearing into what happened to clear you name, going so far as to sue the AFL in the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Here is where I start to ask questions.

Why? Why drag this out any longer? Surely you of all people are over it? With regards as to the charges, this has been in the media for the length of the season (probably longer), this whole sordid affair has bought the game into disrepute, case closed, let’s all go get a knock off beer and put this behind us.

It doesn’t matter if you did it or Bruce Reid did it or Stephen Dank did it. It happened.

There is no use saying that no player tested positive or any proof of an illegal doping program. The AFL doesn’t care. They care that the nice family friendly image they like to put to the public has got a little mud on it.

That’s it. Even if you get your way and have an independent hearing, the AFL front up say the games image was tarnished and boom! Guilty as charged.

Is it fair? No, not really. Is it going to happen? You betcha!

You’re fighting the wrong fight. The AFL is looking at the governance of the program and supposed failing of duty of care.

As a married man I thought you would know by now that some things just aren’t worth fighting over. And if you think you’re winning, you’re fighting the wrong fight.

Even if you do win, then what? Do you think the AFL will just walk away? You may be right but the AFL are going to come after you and will get their man.

The big D in charge at AFL house isn’t going to let this slide. They might not get you now on the interim report but when the full report comes out? Bam! You’re copping everything they got.

Fines and bans for coaches and administrators, premiership points and draft picks. The penalties the AFL think are appropriate are rising ever higher. Do you want to cripple the club you were a legend at?

Have you heard of a Pyrrhic victory? It is a victory with such a devastating cost that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately lead to defeat.

Are you going to fight the AFL forever, because they certinatly won’t stop? Do you want to be right and doom your career forever with the taint of this issue.

Or would you rather take the hit to your pride, have the club stand behind you and come back at a later date stronger and hungrier?

Have you heard of Sean Payton? He’s the coach of the New Orleans Saints. He got banned for not stopping bounties being paid to players that intentionally injured opposing players by his defensive coaching staff.

You know what he did? He went home and coached his kid’s football team. He took it in his stride. He also worked out and now the guy is built. Go have a look on google, I’ll wait…

See? Wow! The point is he came back. If he fought he might have never been allowed to return.

Look I get you’re a proud guy and want to clear you name, but the question you have to ask, is it worth it?

Come on Hirdy, as a Collingwood fan (insert joke about no job, teeth, class here) it kind of makes me happy to see the Bombers down, but as a fan of the game I don’t want to see the game dragged through the mud because you won’t swallow your pride.

I don’t know where you see this ending but I can’t see anything good at the end of this saga.

Don’t go down in footy history as a villain, the game needs heroes.

Cheers,
Matt