Tears can’t rewrite past wrongs and there have been plenty of tears shed in the past 48 hours.
As stirring as it was to see James Hird’s emotion finally on display when he resigned as Essendon coach on Tuesday, it was simply a case of too little, too late.
Hird was never the victim throughout his calamitous tenure as coach, although he made sure onlookers knew his views – namely that the AFL were on a witch-hunt to dismantle him.
His ongoing war of words with the AFL was, for the main part, his own doing.
However it was also the fault of the club that hired him and its inability to fire him in 2013 when it became clear that players had been injected with suspicious substances.
Regardless of what you think of Hird – the player, the coach, the person – the last two years would have been testing, particularly for his family.
Indeed, it was in speaking of his wife and children, an acknowledgment of the pain he may have caused them, that Hird finally succumbed to tears on Tuesday afternoon.
The weight of scrutiny was finally too heavy to support, with the support of the Essendon board no longer unconditional.
Ultimately, the Essendon board failed Hird in allowing him to remain coach for as long as they did.
But Hird had already failed himself in allowing a regime of injections to take place without the proper due diligence required of him, as the off-field leader of the club.
What so many people have failed to comprehend is that, as coach, Hird was negligent at best, when he failed to take all reasonable steps to know what was being injected into his players.
That we still don’t know what was injected into the Essendon players – legal or not – is an indictment on Hird and the entire administration at Essendon.
And while it’s sad that one of the AFL’s all-time greats walks away from the game with less love for it, it’s a predicament that Hird had some hand in.
But the saddest predicament lies with the players, like it always has, many of whom also appear to have become disenchanted with the game.
Hird’s resignation from Essendon on Tuesday overshadowed the biggest TV rights deal the AFL has ever brokered.
It was somewhat symptomatic of his own stature since 2013 where, regardless of what every other club was achieving or failing to achieve, the Bombers’ supplements scandal was omnipresent, threatening to devour the entire competition.
While Hird’s sacking will in no way purge the competition of the scandal, his exit may allow the AFL to take the baby steps it needs to move forward.
As for the players, the prospect of moving forward remains somewhat inhibited amid the ongoing WADA investigation.
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
My concern is that there is a big stigma about "injections" that comes through in many articles about Hird, the AFL, and sports in general. Injections are one means of delivering drugs. Drugs can be taken via suppository, transdermally or orally -- is it okay to take them via these routes, but not via injection? I would guess that elite athletes are still taking "supplements" in drink or food formats -- and I would guess that you would still see footie players being injected to get players back on the field when injured. I would be surprised if they asked what was in the injections, what were the possible side-effects, and so on. There simply isn't time. And injections deliver most drugs quicker than the alternatives.
Kavvy
Guest
that's right if he says "I didn't wanna put that sh!5 in my body he automatically incriminates everyone else, so will never know if he was simply "scared of needles" or not
delbeato
Roar Guru
Athletes under WADA code are given training on how to handle these situations. They are obliged to ascertain what substances they are accepting into their bodies. From the athletes' perspective, it's not OK for them to say "Ummm.. they said hold my arm out for a needle so I did". On the other hand - were they misled about which substances they were being administered with? If that was the case, then the athletes' responsibility is diminished, but club officials may be looking at much more than just anti-doping violations..
bert
Guest
I get when people say players have to be responsible for what they put into their bodies. If that wasn't the case every time there was a positive result players would plead ignorance and blame fitness coaches. However I can see how this saga would have played out. Coach to players- OK guys we need to keep up with the best only way to do this is to get bigger faster stronger we'll take these supplements controlled by our sport and science guru's. Players - OK coach we trust you after all the club employs these people because they are aware of what is legal what is not and what is safe what is not. Player's were stooged, but in the end we are all responsible for our actions
Mikey
Guest
Ryan you said: "Why would the board fire Hird in 2013? He wanted to pursuit his hunt of the corrupt afl commission through his lawsuit, and the club effectively gagged him and warned strongly against it. Hird had the right idea here, and dare I say had he been able to follow through with it, this would not have dragged onto into late 2015 where it is right now." Are you serious? Hird did eventually have his day in court - actually he had two cracks at it - and he got smashed both times. So what makes you think he would have done better 9 months earlier? What sound legal judgement are you basing that on? You have thrown up some great conspiracy theories but I will give you the tip - conspiracy theories rarely hold up in court. In fact they rarely hold up under any sort of close scrutiny. The trouble with a conspiracy theory is that it usually requires al lot of people to be complicit and you only need one to break ranks for the whole thing to fall apart. Your conspiracy theory involves just about everyone outside the EFC and I guess a few in it as well. That is an awful lot of people so good luck trying to prove that one! But I do agree that the AFL/EFC should have let him follow through with legal action in 2013. He would have only wasted his own money (instead of the EFC members money) and he still would have been laughed out of court. Plus he would have been sacked at that time and - dare I say - this would not have dragged into late 2015 where it is right now.
Mikey
Guest
Debra & Dougie - A forgotten warning Hird received BEFORE Dank was employed was from the club dietician. Here is an extract from the charge sheet: Later that month James Hird was sent a paper on the clinical trial of a supplement known as Lact-Away, which was co-authored by Stephen Dank; who later worked for the club... The next day Mr Hird was sent an email by the club's dietician, Benita Lalor. It was an appraisal of a Lact-Away, in which she concluded the product had no beneficial effects and could cause muscle damage. James Hird forwarded the email to Danny Corcoran with the comment: quote, "this is what we are dealing with." Many Hird supporters like to focus on the legality of the injections but this a critical view on a legal substance being promoted by Dank. There are other nutritionists and sports scientists who have also expressed concerns about the frequency and combination of the legal substances used. I read one assessment that said they had never seen (legal) supplements used the way that they were at the EFC and as such no-one . really knows what the effects on the body will be. So Debra this was not just about whether or not illegal substances were used. The whole programme was dodgy and irresponsible.
sydney sider
Guest
I think people are forgetting how young these footballers are/were. James Hird was obviously their hero and they trusted him implicitly - by all accounts almost hero-worshipped him. If he was persuasive and assured them all of the legality and safeness of the supplements who amongst them was going to refuse? Regardless of whether what was injected was illegal or not, the fact that no one knew - and still doesn't know exactly - what was in the syringes shows a serious lack of duty of care. If I was the parent of any of those young men I'd be furious. How the club officials and any one involved could allow this to happen is beyond me. Hopefully one thing it will do is show young footballers that they must question/refuse to take part in any dodgy 'supplement' programs offered by anyone even if it happens to be their hero and coach.
Northerner
Guest
And why exactly should Hird's head not have been on a plate? He supportrd a dubious injection scheme, didn't ensure proper oversight of that scheme, allowed his players to be put at risk, and ignored warnings about the risks, all to engineer a shortcut to a championship. No, he wasn't the only one responsible for the debacle, but he was certainly prominent in the whole scheme and he needs to take responsibility. It was not ASADA or the media or the AFL who introduced the supplements scheme. And if we're going to talk about corruption, well, to my mind, the Don's board and management, have a lot more to answer for than the AFL does. Hird's head shouldn't have been the only one to roll, nor was it, but it was certainly
Ben
Guest
No, this is not a digression. The reason for the UCI's complicity - Lance Armstrong was a cash cow. Again, money talks in professional sports. The UCI faced a similar problem following the Festina Affair. The sport turned over a new leaf. Enter US Postal. Cha ching. Then the Armstrong scandal. Media target shifts to Sky. Are they doping? Who knows but it certainly isn't in the UCI's interest to have another scandal if they are. A drug scandal is a real problem for administrators. They walk a fine line between showing the public that they are anti-PEDs but not rocking the boat too much - a drug scandal is not in the interest of the sport (as the AFL can attest to). So as an administrator you are damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Handles
Roar Guru
I seem to recall Zaharakis saying he didn't get he injections because he is scared of needles. Maybe not leadership material.
delbeato
Roar Guru
"Lance Armstrong competed for almost 30 years before he was held to account. The anti doping regime simply couldn’t keep up." Actually they (the UCI) were actively complicit in his doping, which is why he wasn't caught, but we digress..
Ben
Guest
Harry, Lance Armstrong competed for almost 30 years before he was held to account. The anti doping regime simply couldn't keep up. In that time he amassed a fortune of more than $218M. Although he has been disgraced and is facing a $100M lawsuit from the US government, he is currently spending time with his family (at one of his three houses - including one in Aspen, Colorado) or travelling the world, cycling at charity events working on rebuilding his image. His is the biggest scalp caught out by the anti doping structures and his punishment is a $100M fortune. I am not accusing any particular player or club of using banned PEDs, simply saying that the pressure to perform and payoffs for performing (even if caught) would no doubt make using those PEDs a very attractive proposition and, in my opinion, there would be quite a few very familiar names who have or are willing to take that gamble.
Rich1612
Guest
I was amazed he didn't go much earlier. I know he is the favorite son of Essendon but he has let the players down not only through the injecting but also over this prolonged period of "I've done nothing wrong". All other young players should have learnt a very good lesson about being responsible for their own decisions.
HarryT
Guest
Ben, you use the Lance Armstrong defence of 'everyone is doing it' to make an argument, but only name one person who has been caught using drugs. Messi was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Disorder and treated with HGH as a 12 year old. If he didn't have this treatment, he would only be 4 foot 2 inches and have stunted internal organs that would preclude any sort of physical activity. Treatment is ceased at adulthood. At a stretch you could say it was performance enhancing but some would scoff.
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
Which is why Hird failed his players terribly.
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
I agree Dr Reid should be ashamed of himself for not making more of a stand. You can't simply wash your hands of professional negligence by writing a letter to those pushing the injection program and not share those concerns with hte people at risk. The players would have trusted and depended on Dr Reid to advise them it was shonky, but there is no evidence or suggestion that he brought his concerns to the attention of the players, his patients. He should have brought his concerns to the playing group, or at least resigned on principal if he was too worried about betraying Hird and Danks to the players. He's another bloke who let his love for Hird and the club get in the way of better judgement. Bomber Thompson should have threatened the AFL with legal action too and they would have backed-off, because ultimately they wanted some big scalps but they also wanted the matter to be resolved, without the saga being dragged out longer through the courts and the media.
Ben
Guest
Yep, apologies for that mistake! I was WAAAAY off.
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
Based on what?
Mister Football
Roar Guru
AFL club doctors are all part-time. How much oversight do all 18 club doctors have over what's happening at training day to day? Probably more now than what was the case two years ago - I'd bet. Also, it was Dr Reid who wrote a letter to the AFL about what he thought was a prohibited substances (I think it was Tribulus), as it happens, that substance is not prohibited, but the AFL did not formally follow up, which is probably a failing by them under the AFL anti-doping code. There's a lot in relation to this saga for which the AFL has to answer, as much as EFC itself.
Nicko
Guest
What about Dr Reid...he was concerned, wrote a letter, was ignored...and just went back into his little burrow...hands washed. To me, he is as much to blame as Hird...Hird could argue ignorance about the true nature of the drugs the players were being injected with. but Reid is a Doctor, he should have known...but did nothing about it more than write a letter...Reid should have been the first one out the door...apart from his exulted status as a "great servant of the game"...this encapsulates all that is wrong at EFC, lack of clear accountability and willingness to do the right thing...