Former Essendon coach James Hird says suspension of 34 players for doping is a ‘miscarriage of justice’ – as guilty footballers consider legal action against club
Former Essendon coach James Hird has slammed the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to suspend 34 players past and present over the 2012 doping scandal.
Hird, who resigned as head coach in August 2015, released a statement in light of Tuesday morning’s ruling saying the suspension was a ‘miscarriage of justice’.
‘I am shocked by this decision,’ Hird said in a statement to Fairfax Media.
‘They do not deserve to face a 12-month suspension from the sport.
‘This is a miscarriage of justice for 34 young men,’ he said, adding he would make further comment later in the week.
His comments come amid mounting speculation that players embroiled in the three-year long scandal could launch legal action against the club for breaching its duty of care.
On Tuesday morning CAS ruled the ‘Essendon 34’ were guilty of taking the banned substance Thymosin beta-4 during the 2012 season.
The players past and present – including 12 who are currently listed with Essendon – were banned from the 2016 season.
The shock decision came after WADA appealed the AFL and ASADA’s earlier ‘not guilty’ ruling on the doping.
Now many have suggested that those found guilty could have grounds for legal action against Essendon, who has already paid millions of dollars in fines throughout the ordeal.
The Bombers already pleaded guilty to charges of breaching the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and could face a further $600,000 in fines.
Former Essendon player Nathan Lovett-Murray tweeted that the decision was ‘bulls**t’.
‘We will appeal it if we can if not no footy or coaching for myself this year’, he wrote in a longer post on Instagram.
Sports commentator and journalist Caroline Wilson predicted players would sue, and Jobe Watson could also be stripped of his 2012 Brownlow Award.
‘I think there’s absolutely no doubt they’ll sue the club, and that will be a story that goes on for several years,’ she said on 3AW radio on Tuesday.
Wilson said the decision had left many Essendon and AFL plans feeling ‘sick to their stomach’ and criticised the clubs decision to take on biochemist Stephen Dank.