- Charged Bombers to fight
- Players in the clear. For now
- Stephen Dank comes into bat for Hird
James Hird and the three other Essendon Bombers officials charged with bringing the game into the disrepute will fight to clear their names.
Coach Hird, assistant coach Mark Thompson, club doctor Bruce Reid and football manager Danny Corcoran each face sanctions for the doping scandal that allegedly took place during the 2012 season.
“We’ll fight, it’s about our reputations,” Hird said.
“We’ll support each other – it’s interesting that the four of us have been identified as the blackest day in Australia sporting history now so we take that very seriously.
“I think we have a look at our options, we’re obviously going to defend ourselves vigorously.
“We’ve got to contend the charges, we’ve got to make sure we’re proven not guilty, and we’ll go from there.”
Hird said he was shattered be the experience of the past 24 hours.
“I’m pretty shattered really – shattered to be charged for bringing the game into disrepute that I love and cherish and respect so much,” he told reporters outside of his home on Wednesday morning.
“It’s terribly disappointing I’ve been charged for that, for the club and all of us.”
The Essendon list has so far escaped charges and comments by Hird seemed to sum up the feeling of relief at Windy Hill.
“It’s incredible, actually” he said.
“I think it’s great the players have been freed and they’ve got a great sense of relief over that.”
The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority released a statement on Wednesday confirming players are in the clear, however future charges remain a possibility.
The sports scientist alleged to have played a major role in Essendon’s supplement program last season spoke out in favour of his old club.
“There is quite a deal of assistance that myself and my legal team can and will offer Essendon,” Dank told CrocMedia’s SportsDay.
“I find the whole thing quite laughable. I certainly know how hard those four guys worked to run the football department and I know the ethics of those four blokes. Under no circumstances would I have thought they would do anything contrary to the care of those players.”
Negotiations between the Bombers and the AFL came to a standstill on Tuesday night, leading the league to charge the team in the broad terms of section 1.6 of the players rules, however a range of differing opinions remain as who penalties the club will face if found guilty.
One popular notion suggests the club will lose premiership points for this season, potentially dropping the team out of the finals conversation.
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