Essendon kicked out of 2013 finals.

[PMC]

UPDATE: Essendon coach James Hird has dramatically backed down and accepted a one-year ban from the game as his club was expelled from the 2013 finals, stripped of draft picks and fined $2 million.

After the most dramatic day in AFL history one of the game’s most revered figures admitted he had brought the game into disrepute and abandoned his Supreme Court action against the league and its boss Andrew Demetriou.

The Hird backdown concluded a season of vociferous denials from the Essendon coach that he would accept any wrongdoing in the risky and experimental drugs program instigated at the end of 2011 and carried out through the 2012 season.

Hird's senior assistant Mark Thompson has also accepted a sanction in the form of a fine from the AFL after 24 hours earlier declaring he was a long way from a deal. Only the case of club doctor Bruce Reid was yet to be concluded.

Hird was found guilt of the AFL’s rule 1.6 that he had engaged in conduct unbecoming or likely to prejudice the interests or the reputation of the AFL or to bring the game of football into disrepute.

In an unprecedented fall from grace for a Brownlow Medallist, Hall of Famer and Norm Smith Medallist, Hird has become the first senior coach in the game’s history to be forced out of football for 12 months.

Hird can hold no role at the club for next year. He also won't coach Essendon against Richmond in round 23.

[Bloodyaussie]

Well there you go............ Glad I dont watch the game anymore..

[Avo]

12 month ban is like a slap on the wrist but I reckon....it's like saying go away and come back the year after......

[trekster]

Who are Essendon :)

[BigRAWesty]

That is piss weak. Crows lost first 2 draft picks and a pretty big fine for a measly salary cap breach...

They got off light imo..

And fancy going on about how In their eyes they didn't cheat??? WTF... They don't call em banned PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS for nothing..

The whole bloody management team who was involved with the saga should be banned for life..
And 2 mill.. Those boys probably wipe their asses with 2 mill..

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

[boots]

One big looser out of all of this , AFL football . Huge winners were the circus frenzy media .

[Drewboyaus]

That is piss weak. Crows lost first 2 draft picks and a pretty big fine for a measly salary cap breach...

They got off light imo..

And fancy going on about how In their eyes they didn't cheat??? WTF... They don't call em banned PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS for nothing..

The whole bloody management team who was involved with the saga should be banned for life..
And 2 mill.. Those boys probably wipe their asses with 2 mill..

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

A measly salary cap breach???? THAT IS CHEATING.
ASADA and the AFL have found zero evidence of Essendon players taking banned performance enhancing drugs and thus there is no cheating.
I'm not saying what happened at the club is to be condoned, it is very poor but it was not cheating....and not much different to what would have been going on at the majority of other clubs.
Not like a Crows supporter to be sooking about an umpires decision......almost as bad as Collingwood in that regard......


Tip tip tip......tap tap tap....

[MEGOMONSTER]

Very surprising outcome for Hirdy.

[gaddy]

Vossy's looking for a gig !!

[threedogs]

I stand dumbfounded over this, what a crock of you know what.
If you are innocent why would you accept a 12 month ban,
As I said before Micheal Jackson was innocent too and to prove it he gave $25mill to his victim
Its a joke , and Dimitrou can take a long walk off a short pier

[taslucas]

I stand dumbfounded over this, what a crock of you know what.
If you are innocent why would you accept a 12 month ban,
As I said before Micheal Jackson was innocent too and to prove it he gave $25mill to his victim
Its a joke , and Dimitrou can take a long walk off a short pier

Find a clip on YouTube of the charges read out. I think it's fitting. It goes along the lines of: "the health and welfare of our players is held in high regard...."

[BigRAWesty]

A measly salary cap breach???? THAT IS CHEATING.
ASADA and the AFL have found zero evidence of Essendon players taking banned performance enhancing drugs and thus there is no cheating.
I'm not saying what happened at the club is to be condoned, it is very poor but it was not cheating....and not much different to what would have been going on at the majority of other clubs.
Not like a Crows supporter to be sooking about an umpires decision......almost as bad as Collingwood in that regard......


Tip tip tip......tap tap tap....

Yes by all means I'm not saying the crows didn't mess up. They got caught red handed but owned up to it. Come out straight up, apologised coped it sweet and carried on..

These guys have been denying it flat out threw the whole thing and called lawyers straight up.. Now if inosent wouldn't you let asada finish its investigation before gearing up for battle.. They got nothing to hide and be afraid if right??? :rolleyes:

[Drewboyaus]

Yes by all means I'm not saying the crows didn't mess up. They got caught red handed but owned up to it. Come out straight up, apologised coped it sweet and carried on..

These guys have been denying it flat out threw the whole thing and called lawyers straight up.. Now if inosent wouldn't you let asada finish its investigation before gearing up for battle.. They got nothing to hide and be afraid if right??? :rolleyes:

Mate, it's the AFL who has brought this forward.
The ASADA investigation is ongoing.
There is currently no evidence of illegal or performance enhancing substances being administered to players.


Tip tip tip......tap tap tap....

[threedogs]

And it stretches into the rugby as well I think.

[BigRAWesty]

Mate, it's the AFL who has brought this forward.
The ASADA investigation is ongoing.
There is currently no evidence of illegal or performance enhancing substances being administered to players.


Tip tip tip......tap tap tap....

Well yes, but they have put forward a 300 And something report to the AFL with there findings..
Now if it was inconclusive, I don't think the AFL would have a leg to stand on..

I very much doubt well know the whole story.. The AFL has there head to far up there asses worrying about the image of AFL...

[threedogs]

Read somewhere where the AFL knew of all this mid 2011 and suggested they share the blame.
yeah that's gunna happen

[Drew]

Yeah sorry this is reading high on the don't give a s$!t meter for me :)

Take the points, everything the game has suffered big time and maybe this will be real deterrent. Did the afl know, like yeah of course, but who's going to hold them accountable

[NP99]

I bet Hird continues at the club on the payroll somewhere!

[BigRAWesty]

What do you call a pack of drug cheats???






A Hird...

Courtesy if the wife..