The AFL publically released the official charges laid against the Essendon Bombers and coach James Hird on Wednesday, sparking a verbal war between the football club and the league.
The 34-page document released by the league claims Essendon officials- Hird, assistant coach Mark Thompson, doctor Bruce Reid and football manager Danny Cocoran- each played a role in the following events:
– The club “engaged in practices that exposed players to significant risks to their health and safety, as well as the risk of using substances that were prohibited by the AFL anti-doping code and World Anti-doping code”. Players received 1500 injections AOD-9604 and Thymosin, more than 16,500 doses of Colostrum and 8000 doses of Tribulus.
– That Hird was informed in August 2011 that “peptides were a serious risk to the integrity of the AFL, in the same category as steroids and HGH [human growth hormone].”
– Despite suffering side effects from personally using the drug Melanotan II, “Hird did not recognise or respond to the indication that the supplements program potentially posed a risk to the players’ health, welfare and safety.”
– The peptides used were purchased from a convicted drug dealer.
– 34 players were injected with an “amino acid compound, purchased without a prescription from Mexico for a patient outside the football club suffering from muscular dystrophy.
In addition to mismanagement the AFL claims occurred at Essendon in 2011-12, a lost letter from club doctor Bruce Reid has been revealed.
“I have some fundamental problems being club doctor at present. This particularly applies to the administration of supplements,” Reid wrote to Hird and former club president Paul Hamilton in January last year.
The Bombers hit back on Wednesday afternoon, saying the AFL is attempting to damage Hird’s reputation.
Chairman Paul Little spoke out against the AFL, saying the league was aware one of drugs in question, AOD-9604, had not been banned at the time, but opted not to publically reveal that information.
”That the AFL has known this for six months but let questions hang over the head of the club and most unforgivably our players, is reprehensible,” Little said.
”We do not consider the statement of charges is justified by the evidence gathered by the investigation. We have always maintained AOD-9604 is not a prohibited substance in 2011-2012 and advice of professional experts has supported this.”
Hird chose again to have his voice heard.
“The announcement by ambush confirms the AFL is running an agenda which continues to call into questions its impartiality,” Hird said.
“My position is the same today as it was yesterday and in previous weeks. That is, I will contest the charges.”
“The letter, released in isolation, is designed to damage my reputation,” he said.
“This continues the abuse of process by the AFL by using the media to prosecute a case it seems unwilling to actually prosecute in a tribunal.”
Get amongst CraveOnlineAU on Twitter and Facebook for daily sport, music, entertainment and gaming news.
Follow Robert White on Twitter @RobertWhitebrrr.
Scott Barbour, Getty Images.
