AFL targets Essendon Royalty

[Throughandthrough]

Thinking further, maybe Hird has received legal opinion that admitting guilt will leave him more open to getting sued by aggrieved players

[GVGjr]

There is still a lot more to play out but I still believe that Essendon will need someone at the AFL to make a major stuff up for them to escape.

Reids email will work against them as it clearly highlights a lack of duty of care.

[Twodogs]

I can't believe the pull Hird has at this club he has accepted full responsibility but everyone else is going , why hasn't the president actually looked at him and said you go???

One tried to stare the mad bastard down a few weeks ago. Now they got a new president.

[Ghost Dog]

The revised charges here. This was what the AFL and EFC agreed on in terms of breaches.
Even on the basis of what EFC agreed to, they have to be given a whack.

http://www.essendonfc.com.au/staticf...%20grounds.pdf

[LostDoggy]

Just listened to Mark Robinson on AFL360. Can't believe what a essendon apologist he is - credibility left at the door!

[Rocket Science]

One curiosity within the notice of charges...

124. During the relevant period, the Club caused the following substances to be administered to players at the Club:

(a) Actovegin;
(b) unspecified amino acids
(c) unspecified multi-vitamins;
(d) AOD-9604 creams;
(e) AOD-9604 injections;
(f) Cerebrolysin;
(g) Colostrum;
(h) censored
(i) Lactaway;
(j) Lube-all-plus;
(k) Melatonin;
(l) Melanotan II;
(m) TA-65;
(n) Thymosin Beta 4;
(o) Traumeel; and
(p) Tribulus.

...which at least suggests a modicum of foresight in that they knew, at some stage or another, they'd be *!*!*!*!ed.

[westdog54]

Just listened to Mark Robinson on AFL360. Can't believe what a essendon apologist he is - credibility left at the door!

He's been pshing James Hird's case from day one, and then has the hide in today's Herald sun to talk about the issue being hijacked by agendas.

Spare me

[Scraggers]

Unbelievable. Reading the charge sheet now.

My uninformed non-lawyer/non-medical professional take on it:

• Reid's loyalty to Essendon has really cost him here.
• Hird, Corcoran both were as “wilfully ignorant” as you can get.
• They didn't even follow their own protocols on the drug use.
• They even criticised their own staff member, Benita Lalor, for having reservations. Basically insulted her intelligence.
• Robinson will never work again.
• Hird is FUBAR.
• Essendon will never recover from this. Yeah, they might keep playing footy, but this will hang on their heads forever. White Sox-style.

I had made the same analogy. Walking around Melbourne last week, every time I saw an Essendon scarf, beanie, hat etc. all I could think was cheat. They have marked for life.

[Remi Moses]

Essendon white Sox . Has a nice ring to it!!
Hird playing the victim ( as per usual)

[Raw Toast]

Reading the charge sheet confirmed a suspicion I'd had for awhile. The murkiness around
AOD-9604 is a huge smokescreen, the issue lies with other substances, especially Thymosin Beta-4.

In essence, the evidence suggests Danks only realised midway through last year that it was prohibited under the general 'not classified for use' catch-all. He then appears to try cover that up by getting the pharmacist to sign a document from January of that year (in June!).

In other words, Essendon players seem pretty clearly to have been given a prohibited substance that they never asked anyone about (ASADA or anyone else in a regulatory capacity) and didn't get Reid to sign off on either.

Essendon's only hope is that it wasn't Thymosin Beta-4 but rather another Thymosin. But if you read the Appendix A bit at the end seems extremely likely to have been the Beta-4 variety.

Bombers will come out of this with barely a scratch. The AFL has botched this one badly.

Demetriou's position is untenable, IMO.

Things change quickly don't they...

Of course, Hird and Little staked their rebuttal today on (the now very disputed claims around) AOD-9604 as well as bizarre claims of an ambush - most of the time they have been asking the AFL to be open with their claims, now they want them to go back to innuendo.

[Scraggers]

Not sure if this has been said early ... But what is the collective noun of a group of cheats ... A Hird !!

[jeemak]

Hird to sue the AFL:

http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/j...821-2sbrw.html

[LostDoggy]

Tim Lane on channel 7 stating after all of this stuff is out that the only likely solution for a peaceful resolution is if the AFL stands Andrew Demitriou down....??

Um

#I'maDelusionalIdiotWithMoreLoyaltyThanCommonSence

#WTHTimRUSerious???

[jeemak]

Tim Lane's a Carlton man.

[LostDoggy]

Tim Lane's a Carlton man.

Do-over Tim Watson