Hird vulnerable to AFL sanction

Essendon coach James Hird arrives at Perth Airport. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow

JAMES Hird has done nothing wrong by the letter of the law if he's taken an ASADA-banned substance.

But the Essendon coach remains vulnerable to sanction by the AFL for bringing the game into disrepute.

The AFL Commission can deal with anyone in the code it feels has damaged the fabric of the competition.

AFL chief Andrew Demetriou described the involvement of Hird in the latest turn of events in the Essendon drugs scandal as disturbing.

"It's very clear if any coach or official puts the duty of care of their players at risk then they will be held accountable," Demetriou said. "There is no place for them in the game."

Coaches and club officials are allowed to take prohibited substances under Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority guidelines but not traffic or administer drugs to players.

It has been alleged Hird was injected with Hexarelin - which was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2004 - and the tanning drug Melanotan II.

"Coaches can be captured under the WADA code, the rules are very specific surrounding coaches and their influence over players in the taking of illegal substances on the WADA list," Demetriou said.

ASADA has been investigating Essendon since February after concerns were raised about the club's supplement program, which was run by sports scientist Stephen Dank.

He has since said he injected Essendon players with extract from pig's brain used to treat Alzheimer's, the first milk from a mother cow and a bark extract.

Demetriou said he was disturbed by the developments.

"I'm shocked by the complexity of the substances, the potential injurious nature of these substances," he said.

"I'm horrified as a parent by the thought of, if true, that young men were injected with these substances.

"It's terribly disturbing."

He said he was looking forward to Hird putting his case to the ASADA investigators.

"It doesn't matter who you are in this game, the expectations of our supporters is that they watch the sport in its purest form.

"No person or no action that seeks to gain advantage by improper means will be tolerated in this code."

Hird described the injection claims as "very upsetting". "I just can't wait to get in and talk to ASADA and the AFL ... I can't wait to clear my name," he said.

Essendon chairman David Evans said the club would be making no decisions until its own investigation - being conducted by former Telstra boss Ziggy Switkowski - was concluded.

"James Hird is a person who has the respect of this club and the football community, and the board will not be making decisions about the next steps until the processes of the review and the investigation takes its course," he said.
 

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