hamish is Scottish for James.
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Yes
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Yeah, my name is Hamish.
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Here’s hoping he gets a chance, though perhaps his credibility as a witness for Jackson’s team has been diminished now (yet another tragically ironic twist). Anyone know why the judge is taking so long to determine if it should be a full and open trial? I thought the original estimate was 3-4 weeks and we’re now into the seventh.
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And, reportedly, Fitzpatrick’s comment to Danny Corcoran are now being cast as opinion. When you are President of the AFL and so well connected in the corporate world, of course his opinion would count for nothing in decisions by others.
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And, when two officials forced to resign from AFL promptly get jobs back in the industry, one with St Kiilda, the other with Hutchy.
And when Finnis did not support the players when he was CEO at AFLPA, gets a plum job at St Kilda.
And when Clothier of the so-called AFL integrity unit - who was exposed by the Federal Court evidence for his tampering role in the saga - gets a glowing reference to land a job at the IAAF.
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Excellent views by Jim’s dad in this article
Bombers still ‘suffering’ from supplements saga, says Hird’s dad
By Jon Pierik5 May 2018 — 3:24pm
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The father of James Hird has taken aim at former Essendon chairman David Evans, claiming the Bombers are still “suffering” from the decision to self-report to the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency more than five years ago.
Hird’s father contacted The Sunday Age after James had detailed how he and Mark Thompson were still struggling mentally to come to terms with the fall-out of the supplements saga.
Thompson, who left Essendon after being caretaker coach in 2014 but has denied to friends he ever had a drug problem, this week fronted the Melbourne Magistrates Court where he faced seven charges, including trafficking ice and possession of LSD and ecstasy after police found ice pipes and ecstasy tablets in his Port Melbourne home. He was granted bail on a $20,000 surety and under strict conditions.
Mark Thompson and James Hird in their coaching days at Essendon.
Mark Thompson and James Hird in their coaching days at Essendon.
Photo: Sebastian Costanzo
Hird was suspended for a year in 2014 as part of the AFL’s punishment of the club but returned in 2015, only to step down late in the season when the club fell apart. He had a mental breakdown and overdosed on sleeping tablets in January last year, as the weight of the scandal which led to 34 past and present Essendon players being suspended for a year for an anti-doping offence took a toll. He would spend five weeks in Melbourne psychiatric facility.
In a podcast, Hird claimed the Bombers had not provided enough “emotional” support to him, Thompson and former football-department chief Danny Corcoran during the height of the scandal, pointing to Evans leaving the club in July, 2013. Evans had left after suffering a physical breakdown in the dressingroom at a time his long-term friendship with Hird was strained.
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Allan Hird said the decision by the club to self-report to ASADA, when Evans was in charge, had destroyed careers and ruined men.
“David Evans’ responsibility as the Essendon president in 2013 was to search for the truth about the supplements used at Essendon. Instead, he did a deal … ‘Bomber’ Thompson, James Hird, Danny Corcoran and Bruce Reid were the scapegoats,” he said.
"As the head of club, he had ultimate responsibility for the club’s governance but he shied away from his responsibility. What he should have done was let ASADA conduct its investigation in private as the ASADA Act provides. But, as we know, the AFL tried to stage manage the whole process and with constant leaks to the media, damaged the club, its players and the support staff. The club is still suffering from David Evans’ stewardship.
“Unlike the presidents of Collingwood and Port Adelaide, David Evans let his club be steamrolled. There is no evidence David Evans tried to stop the AFL’s damaging action. Rather it appears he was a passive observer, if not a supporter, of the AFL’s course of action.”
Evans could not be reached for comment on Saturday. He has not publicly discussed the scandal since he left the club but was seen by club insiders to have been loyal to Hird. In his departure statement, Evans said: “I believe that I have put the interests of the players and their families first in this process, and I have been guided by my duty of care to them and to the club throughout the last five months”.
Allan Hird maintains greater transparency was needed through the entire investigation and fall out, and has written to federal sports minister Bridget McKenzie, questioning the information the Department of Health gave former sports minister, Greg Hunt.
“There is a pattern of misinformation and cover up in relation to ASADA’s investigation of the Essendon Football Club. Your predecessors have decided to look the other way hoping the whole sorry miscarriage of justice will fade into history,” Hird wrote.
"From previous experience with the federal bureaucracy in relation to ASADA’s investigation, I am confident you, too, will be advised to do nothing.
“However, now that it is obvious the bureaucrats in charge of sport can’t be trusted, I would urge you to establish an independent inquiry to find out what actually happened and what is the truth.”
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Hird had been part of a push for a Senate inquiry into the 2013 investigation.
Melbourne-based lawyer Jackson Taylor, represented by prominent human rights lawyer Julian Burnside, is awaiting a judgement on whether the AFL breached consumer law by engaging in deceptive conduct through the supplements investigation.
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Is that last statement correct? Are we waiting for a judgement on whether action can be taken under consumer law? I thought we were waiting for the terms of discovery and witnesses required ie that the case will proceed. It does seem to be taking a long time to get to the next stage.
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That night in the rooms when Evans said he had been a friend of Hird’s for 20 years and expected the friendship to continue, another of his misjudgments.
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I think you’re correct. Pierik has jumped the gun.
Kiprop, a Kenyan athlete, has alleged that the IAAF Integrity Unit (run by Clothier) breached confidentiality and that he was offered a reward of being an IAAF Ambasador.
IAAF rejected a breach of confidentiality, but did not explicitly deny the second claim, only that it was not improper . It explained that he was given the opportunity - under substantial assistance provisions- to provide information about anti-doping .
Sounds familiar. Dean Robinson would know, but no Essendon player was prepared to take a bribe.
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Really interesting discussion on C9 Sports Sunday about the saga including the Cronulla angle. Paul Gallen was part of the panel. He had a bit of contact with Jimmy during that time. He refused to reveal some details but he said that he is confident that he and the Cronulla players did not receive prohibited substances. He referred several times, that when his book comes out, he will answer every question about he circumstances around the ‘deal’ and other aspects. He also stated that the NRL didn’t support them as well as they should have .
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I liked the way that Gallen took FitzSimons on. At first Fitz said he could not remember what he had said about Gallen, but after Gallen reminded him, said it was not personal. Gallen emphasised that it was personal to him. Should be more of it calling the media out.
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Love your posts, knowledge and research Bigallan.
Much appreciated by all of us who struggle with legal stuff.
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Turned on the radio Saturday just before the footy and heard SWMNBN and others talking about Bomber Thompson. I missed the beginning of the conversation but some were sympathetic with Bomber’s problems and James Hird was mentioned in the same vein. Then the ■■■■■ butted in and said Thompson, Hird, Corcoran and Reid brought it all on themselves. Others on the show ( I think one was Tim Lane ) suggested she was overstating things and maintained their more sympathetic tone. She then went on to say that she knew several parents of players who are undergoing psychological and psychiatric treatment because of what their sons went through ( boys is the word she used). I tried to ring up 3AW to ask if Sarah was one of the parents but couldn’t get through.
Name names or your assertion is a lie.
All the while SWMNBN was strident and discordant and there was a hysterical edge to her voice. I was listening to a woman who sounded like she had something to hide, desperately trying to divert attention away from herself by making unfounded assertions.
I threw my phone and radio to the ground and stomped them to smithereens. Well I didn’t but I nearly did. By the whiskers of Mohammed it made me angry.
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Sure she does. 
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How many supporters did your witch hunt send into psychological and psychiatric treatment, you vindictive shrew.
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If she’s telling the truth then she is a major player in their condition, right up the top with Dank and Fitzpatrick.
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Then you’ve got a considered, thinking, investigative journalist in Tracey Holmes. She was on Offsiders on the abc yesterday morning.
Tracey said the AFL put so much pressure on the club that the club was torn. People within the organisation turned on each other trying to save themselves. Until the thing unravels and we work back to what went wrong, the troubles will always be there. She said the saga has had a huge negative influence on key characters’ lives. Kelly Underwood suggested the characters were adults and Tracey shut her down saying it was impossible to underestimate the effect this had on lives. Tracey said Essendon was a horrible, poisonous pit and we are seeing the results now
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