Bombergate: the gift that keeps on giving
Tom Heenan
Written on Wednesday, 18 December 2013 14:24
Bombergate has given us so much this year.
But as Christmas approaches, and you think the best of it is over, Bombergate just keeps on giving more.
Last week it was Paul Little's turn. Fronting the cameras last Friday evening, the Bomber president told media that James Hird's pay dispute had been "resolved" to the AFL and Essendon's "satisfaction."
According to Little, Hird would not be paid during the 2014 season. This would comply with the "implied terms of the AFL sanctions" that Hird does not receive a wage for a 12 month period. Instead, Hird would be paid "in advance to cover the 2014 year consistent with [his] employment contract obligations."
What a mind-boggling turnaround!
Before Little's announcement, the AFL had maintained that Hird should not be paid during his suspension. Demetriou's position has now obviously changed, because Hird under the new deal is to be paid "in advance." Consequently, Hird will not suffer any financial penalty for his crimes – whatever they may be.
Little was at it again at the Essendon AGM, defending Hird's pay deal and declaring the old coach would be welcomed back at the end of his suspension.
As Hird looked on, Little acknowledged the club had used "inappropriate" procedures and "exposed ... players to unacceptable risks." But he assured members Essendon had overhauled its medical protocols and governance, and that there would be no repeat of the supplement saga.
What a staggering admission by Little and without any hint of self-irony!
Here was Little condemning a system introduced on Hird's watch. Yet Hird has been rewarded for his mal-administration of the system with a $750,000 Christmas lump-sum, and an assurance that he's back in the coach's box in August.
Little's statement doesn't inspire any confidence in the current administration of football. Few of the major players in this saga have displayed any faith in the integrity of the AFL's investigation or its findings.
Otherwise, Mark Thompson would not be coaching in 2014 and Hird would not be receiving an unexpected lump sum in his Christmas stocking.
Little was not the only club president having a say on Bombergate last week. In an extraordinary outburst, the Bulldogs' Peter Gordon told the ABC's Sally Warhaft the media was to blame for stoking the flames of Bombergate.
What a load of near-Nixonesque nonsense!
Gordon's claim is akin to blaming Woodward and Bernstein for Watergate. Nixon did it silly, not the journos! Like the AFL and Gordon, Nixon wanted to protect the brand.
Thankfully ASADA is nearing the end of its protracted investigation, so we may eventually get clarification of what went on at Essendon. If the recent statement by the outgoing head of WADA, John Fahey, is any indication, the investigation's findings will not be good for the Bombers.
Fahey has constantly reiterated that the AFL's investigation was entirely separate from ASADA's, and that it is only a matter of time before Essendon players receive infraction notices.
Fahey also suggested that Hird will be in ASADA's sights. As Fahey stated, Hird oversaw a regimen of "40,000-plus injections ... most of which we know [are] not approved for human consumption." ASADA will not treat this tardy track record as offhandedly as the AFL or Essendon.
Fahey's remarks brought a sharp rebuttal from Little. He told the Essendon AGM that the allegations were "unsettling and unfounded", and that neither the AFL nor Bombers had received any information of pending infraction notices.
The rebuttal came at a bad time for the Bomber president. The next day The Age detailed allegations of players being administered anti-dementia and anti-Parkinson disease drugs for no apparent reason.
This is no media beat-up, but a tragic farce in which a club seems to have played hard and loose with the rules and the welfare of its players.
Hird deserves the opportunity to put his side of the story. But given what is now on the public record, he should not coach again at Essendon or elsewhere. Not only is he damaged goods but, as Fahey indicated in early November, Hird may be dealt with under the ASADA code. If so, he could face a hefty suspension from the game.
No doubt there is more to come on the Bombergate front. Despite the assurances of Little and the AFL, it is far from resolved to everyone's "satisfaction."
Bombergate has already given us so much, and it will continue to do so well into 2014.
(Dr Tom Heenan lectures in sport and Australian Studies at Monash University.)
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