The numb coach who loves himself more than his club Patrick Smith
The Australian
July 29, 2013 THIS has been James Hird's year of shame. A season where he put his own reputation ahead of the club that he had served so wonderfully, so skilfully for 253 matches. And a club that cherished and revered him in return. Loved him.
Last year, sport scientist Stephen Dank was pushed. In February, high-performance manager Dean Robinson was stood down and then finally last week he walked away altogether.
Chief executive Ian Robson left the club in May and on Saturday night president David Evans, brutally torn apart by the ASADA investigation, resigned. Effective immediately.
Yet Hird, the man who took full responsibility for the highly suspicious supplements program in February, remains. It makes no sense, nor is it fair or appropriate.
Hird is coach of the club. Historically, it is by title a role of great accountability. Hird's reputation only enhanced the power of the position and the obligations that attend it. Yet he is numb to all this.
He spoke quietly and with a sad voice after the big loss to Hawthorn on Friday. "The sooner this thing is over, the better, because this has affected so many people's lives that if it's not over very quickly, it's going to affect people's lives permanently. It has to finish because it's not fair on so many people," Hird said.
"This week's another week of six months of living through an ordeal that people shouldn't have to live through. I don't want to go into personal instances because that will all come out . . . it's just got to finish, it has to finish.
"There's a belief the players haven't taken anything illegal in our football club. Our belief is still strong in that and a report that comes out in two weeks, I'm not sure of the exact date, and when it does, we're all hopeful, we're all praying that that's the case because our belief is that we haven't done anything illegal and we are not drug cheats."
Hird's post-game reflection came too late for Evans. He could neither physically nor mentally give any more to the club that his father Ron starred for as a full forward and then served as chairman. He also chaired the AFL Commission. David Evans wanted to leave a legacy of which his father could be proud. He has done that in the dignified and sensitive manner he has steered the club through this wretchedness, but late on Saturday night his will shuddered to a stop.
It could have, and should have, been different. Hird should have been true to his word when he said at a news conference on February 5 that he took full responsibility. It was after Essendon announced it had called in ASADA and the AFL to investigate a supplements program, supported by Hird, that may have breached WADA protocols.
At that very point Hird should have stepped to the side. He was the coach, it was his staff administering the supplements. He encouraged it. He did not know that the program was in danger of breaking WADA rules -- in fact he wanted to be assured that it wasn't -- but he authorised it nonetheless. There would always be heat in this story for it is a scandal unprecedented in AFL history. But had Hird stood down in February then it would have been a slow burn and not the wildfire it has been all season.
If Hird took succour in the support of fans, then he was deluded. Supporters have no sense of proportion, no sense of right or wrong when anything involves their football teams. When it comes to judgment and football, supporters are mostly knuckleheaded.
While Hird remained coach he would always draw intense scrutiny from the media, more than if he had walked away and waited for the inquiry to run its course. Not only did he arrogantly and selfishly stay on as coach, he hired people to manage the fallout. Last week the Hird camp went after AFL chief Andrew Demetriou.
Hird's camp leaked evidence alleging Demetriou had phoned Evans to alert him to an inquiry into his club by the Australian Crime Commission. Evans had convened a meeting of Essendon officials on the eve of the club reporting its supplement issue to ASADA. Demetriou had been briefed by the ACC the previous week about the growing use of drugs in sport, including the AFL, but was given no specific information about any club. The ACC briefing was strictly confidential.
Of itself the leak of Hird's memory of what took place at the meeting mattered little. ASADA had discarded the coach's version and accepted the Demetriou and Evans testimony that Demetriou did not tip off the club. ASADA did not even bother to contact Demetriou and the ACC had no issue with the conversation. It was a non-story.
That was until Hird -- at a news conference later that day -- chose not to bow to the version of the phone call offered by his chairman and the AFL chief. He appeared to deliberately doubt the word of Evans and Demetriou. A scheduled board meeting that night was suddenly described as a "crisis meeting" and Demetriou angrily denied he had breached ACC confidentiality.
While Hird inexplicably went after Demetriou, he ended up also publicly doubting the word of his chairman. It left Evans's loyalties stretched -- he is a friend to both Hird and Demetriou. A PR trick had turned into a disaster for the coach. Hird does not have spin doctors working for him but bloodied butchers.
Essendon is in a critical state. Evans, greatly respected throughout football and business, has gone. The club has an acting chief executive. The ASADA report may well charge players with drug-related breaches.
The AFL will no doubt punish the club for the ravaging of the game's image. The Essendon players wilted after only 20 minutes against Hawthorn, possibly fatigued -- finally -- from a fight they never started. And still Hird arrogantly clings to his right to the witches hats.
It appears Hird simply cannot see the reality of the circumstances that have surrounded him since February 5.
It is hardly wild opinion to think Hird will be remembered as a champion who loved himself more than his club, more than his friends. Certainly more than he did David Evans.
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