Seriously. Again. It’s actually still a thing that people are talking about. On the ABC’s 7:30 Report last night, Tania Hird slammed the AFL’s treatment of her husband, the Essendon great and currently suspended James Hird, during the course of the year-long ASADA investigation into Essendon’s alleged supplements program in 2012.
Speaking exclusively to the program, Tania claimed knowledge of the much vaunted but vehemently denied “tip-off” that league boss Andrew Demetriou allegedly made to the club prior to the lid blowing off the story in February of last year. “(Former Essendon chairman David Evans) said to James ‘go into ASADA and tell the whole truth, but don’t say what Andrew Demetriou told us’” was among the lines Tania said that, frankly, we’ve all heard a thousand times over the past twelve months.
Even James Hird’s lawyer, Stephen Amendola, decided he had a valuable contribution to make to the issue. Being interviewed during the same 7:30 Report segment, he quipped of the AFL: “they looked to behave like a bunch of cashed-up bogans who thought they could do what they wanted.” A funny line, sure. But it doesn’t really help anyone.
Regardless of if the AFL has mismanaged the investigation, regardless of if Essendon’s supplements program was ethically suspect, and regardless of if James Hird is guilty of anything or if he isn’t, the sad fact remains that this now over-a-year-old story has long been beaten to death.
With Round One finally in our midst, and the beleaguered Bombers set to take the field for the first time in season 2014 (and in Dustin Fletcher’s record-breaking 379th AFL game, no less) this continual revisiting of a well that’s now about as dry as Lake Eyre threatens to overshadow another season and further weary an already fatigued footballing public.
Now the new season is finally underway, perhaps it’s time to let people enjoy the grand spectacle of professional Australian Rules Football just for the sheer sake of it.
Photo: Michael Dodge for Getty Images
