Damien Hardwick, who is a close friend of Hird and played with him in the Bombers' 2000 premiership triumph, said it was fantastic the 44-year-old had been welcomed back to the game.
"It's great. I think footy is a pretty forgiving game, and James is one of the all-time great players, great leader and a great friend of mine," the Richmond coach said on Friday.
"From my point of view, wrap your arms around him and bring him back in.
"Once again, we've got to remember that everyone has an error in life, so we've just got to make sure we continue to wrap our arms around people and get them back involved in the game.
"I think that's the one thing AFL footy is great for – bringing people together."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-07-14/hardwick-urges-public-to-support-hirds-return
