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Essendon have been hit with the biggest set of sanctions in AFL history, including a 12-month ban for coach James Hird, over the club’s suspect 2012 supplements program.
The Bombers have been thrown out of this year’s finals despite having earned a top-eight position, fined $2 million, stripped of draft picks for the next two years, and had key officials banned or fined for conduct unbecoming and bringing the game into disrepute.
AFL Commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick said the Bombers had set up a supplements program that was “experimental, inappropriate and inadequately vetted and controlled” and failed to protect the health, welfare and safety of players.
He expressed his distress at an issue which has dragged on for nearly seven months and overshadowed the season, while chief executive Andrew Demetriou called it a “sorry saga”.
“The AFL Commission shares (AFL fans’) anger, and frustration that the 2013 season has too often been dominated by headlines we’d rather not see,” he said as he announced the penalties in Melbourne on Tuesday night.
“The issues involved in the Essendon Football Club’s supplements program are deeply disturbing.
“The investigation undertaken over the past six months, and the actions we have taken today reflect this gravity.”
The Bombers will be deemed to have finished ninth in 2013 and will not play in the finals.
Essendon will lose both their first and second round picks for 2013 and 2014, but will be given a pick in 2014 immediately after the first round.
Football manager Danny Corcoran has been given a six-month suspension from AFL effective from October 1, but with two months of the ban suspended, while assistant coach Mark Thompson has been fined $30,000.
But club doctor Bruce Reid is fighting his charge, which will be heard at 10am (AEST) on Thursday.
Demetriou said Hird had apologised to the commission for his role in the supplements saga.
And he also confirmed Hird had dropped his Supreme Court action against the league, which had been launched last week after the AFL released its charge sheet against the club.
“This is the most significant sanction in AFL history,” Demetriou said of the unprecedented penalties, which followed two days of talks between Essendon, their four charged officials, their legal representatives, and the AFL.
Demetriou said former Bombers sports scientist Stephen Dank, who played a pivotal role in implementing the suspect supplements program, had “a lot to answer for”.
Essendon said Hird would be welcomed back as Bombers coach after his year-long ban was served.
Hird did not appear at an Essendon media conference at AFL House held immediately after the AFL announced its penalties against the club.
Bombers chairman Paul Little said Hird had fallen on his sword to protect the club, shown significant remorse, and had requested not to be involved in the media conference.
But Little said Hird was not “ducking the media”, and that he was very keen to continue his coaching with Essendon once he had served his ban.
“James Hird told the commission tonight he had taken responsibility for the shortcomings in the 2012 supplements program,” Little said.
“There is no doubt in my mind James Hird agreed to accept these penalties tonight so that the club could move on … James has put the best interests of the players, the club and as a whole, the AFL (ahead of himself).”
Little, who had last week said the club would vigorously fight the charges, said the outcome was fair.
“We recognise that failings occurred at our club during this period,” he said.
“We must and do accept accountability and apologise for them.
“We have learnt from our mistakes and made substantial reforms to our governance and people management practices to ensure the club will never be in this position again.”
Assistant coach Simon Goodwin will coach the Bombers in Hird’s absence for their last match of this season – a now-dead rubber against Richmond on Saturday night at the MCG.
THE ESSENDON PENALTIES AT A GLANCE
THE CLUB
* Fined $2 million
* Banned from contesting the 2013 finals – deemed to have finished ninth
* Barred from rounds one and two of the 2013 and 2014 national draftsJAMES HIRD
* Suspended for 12 months, backdated to August 25 this year
* Banned from working with any club in any capacity during his suspensionDANNY CORCORAN
* Banned for six months, starting October 1 this year, with two months of the penalty suspended
* Banned from working with any club in any capacity during his suspensionMARK THOMPSON
* Fined $30,000DR BRUCE REID
* Case adjourned until Thursday.
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