James Hird issued an apology for Essendon’s supplement scandal last season outside of his Toorak home on Wednesday, but the suspended coach and former great delivered a mixed message to the number of reporters in attendance.
“I am deeply sorry for what happened at our football club in 2012,” Hird said.
“I do take a level of responsibility for what happened.
“I should have known what was going on, I should have done more and I’m very disappointed that I didn’t.”
Did Hird and Bombers break the rules? “Not at all”.
“I didn’t break the rules that I was charged with, those charges have been dropped and we’ve agreed to move on.”
Hird accepted a 12-month ban while the Bombers copped a $2 million fine and lost their first two draft picks from the next two AFL drafts for their governance failures during the 2012 season.
Hird’s individual coaching ban expires on August 25 next year and while it is possible he could return to help the club in the 2014 finals, he indicated, at least at this point, he would return to the role of head coach the year after.
“I’m very keen to coach this club in 2015,” Hird said on Wednesday after saying he’d take some time away to holiday and think things over with his family.
Essendon captain Jobe Watson told Fox Sports that the playing group want Hird to return.
“It’s obviously up to him and the club what they want to do,” Watson said.
“As a playing group, we’ll sit down – we want James to continue as coach.
“He has to decide if that’s something he wants to do.
“It’s sort of an unprecedented situation for someone to sit out for 12 months and then return.”
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