Play Nice James Hird rushed to hospital - suspected overdose

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I note this afternoon Steph Hird...the eldest of the children, has felt the need to make a public statement. Steph is 16 going on 17.

For me, I hope that once Hird has been successfully treated, he should be welcomed back, with open arms, into the football community and n ot just Essendon. Sure Essendon could see fit to have him on the club board. No-one would oppose that.

The lack of comment from the AFL so far has been to be brutally honest, pathetic. Just another slap down for Gillon, Fitzpatrick et al. (Who were so quick with Franklin, Cousins and etc)
 
Ceanag said:
It's sad, so sad
It's a sad, sad situation
And it's getting more and more absurd
It's sad, so sad
Why can't we talk it over?
Oh it seems to me
That sorry seems to be the hardest word
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citizen-erased said:
Yet we seem ok to defend the media's morally bankrupt behaviour when they camp outside the house of a man who is undergoing health/mental issues whilst kids are at home frightened for their dad.

For all you would-be grave dancers in this thread still hanging it on Hird for not apologising/taking accountability, he owes it to none of you and none of us who have moved on. The matter lies between him and the players and whatever peace they've made is none of our business.

That this thread is anything but a place to post your well wishes shows some true colours of people out there.
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Correct , to come out now bashing Hird for his input into the drugs saga is wrong, just like others now trying minimise his involvement.
Let's hope Jim soughts through his issues and the media scrum parked out front of his house get struck by lightning.
 
Going from being more or less universally admired to being hated by the majority of the country would be tough to deal with. Obviously it's taken a pretty big toll.

He is seen publicly as the number 1 villain of the ped program, or at least on par with Dank. If you believe that Hirds intention and directive to Dank was to operate within the rules (which I do) then the management of a sports scientist who was out of control is his biggest failing. The clubs too. Dank is the one who went to town with who knows what on the players. Hird assumed Dank was a professional, not a cowboy.

I think Hird is hated mostly for how he handled the few year fallout, with denials, legal technicalities etc and he made it more about him than the club or the game.

Anyway, rant over. James Hird was my childhood hero, will forever remember him getting clearance after clearance and 2 or 3 goals as part of 15 last quarter possies to come from behind and get up by a kick over west coast.

Feel better Jim.
 
kirky said:
I'll invite you over call you a ****** and and a pissant and another set of expletives. Yep, that is verbal abuse but what I'll then tell you is **** off and get off my property.

You haven't been physically abused, you haven't been racially abused, you haven't been sexually abused. Verbal abuse? Yes, good luck with that one in the privacy of your ones home.

Verbal abuse, is on the delivery and the setting.

FFS people, harden up.
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Lol
1. I bet you wouldn't. There's a reason you're chest puffing online anonymously
2. So verbal busy doesn't exist to you
3. Your grasp on the law is non existent

HARKER said:
It's not OK just because it is James Hird, but.....
James is equally loved and despised and for very good reasons.

I had a lot of time for James not so long ago but then realised I was wrong when he watched his friends take the hits, whilst he was out to save his arse at all cost but....there may well be a lot more to the story but it is hard not to see James to be a self-loving individual....maybe a little too much love for self.

The whole Essendon situation didn't find James. James found/made the situation but that makes for another story.
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None of that responds to any of my comments to you
 
pazza said:
I note this afternoon Steph Hird...the eldest of the children, has felt the need to make a public statement. Steph is 16 going on 17.

For me, I hope that once Hird has been successfully treated, he should be welcomed back, with open arms, into the football community and n ot just Essendon. Sure Essendon could see fit to have him on the club board. No-one would oppose that.

The lack of comment from the AFL so far has been to be brutally honest, pathetic. Just another slap down for Gillon, Fitzpatrick et al. (Who were so quick with Franklin, Cousins and etc)
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Why?

Drug overdose thing completely aside:

Is he a fit individual to be on a club board? He wasn't fit to be a coach. He wasn't fit to be a leader, take responsibility, etc, etc.

Drug overdose thing included:

Should an individual under massive mental pressures be put in a pressure situation?
 
pazza said:
For me, I hope that once Hird has been successfully treated, he should be welcomed back, with open arms, into the football community and n ot just Essendon. Sure Essendon could see fit to have him on the club board. No-one would oppose that.
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Yes they would, not least the club itself. That would be a terrible idea.
 
RaySamuel said:
Going from being more or less universally admired to being hated by the majority of the country would be tough to deal with. Obviously it's taken a pretty big toll.

He is seen publicly as the number 1 villain of the ped program, or at least on par with Dank. If you believe that Hirds intention and directive to Dank was to operate within the rules (which I do) then the management of a sports scientist who was out of control is his biggest failing. The clubs too. Dank is the one who went to town with who knows what on the players. Hird assumed Dank was a professional, not a cowboy.

I think Hird is hated mostly for how he handled the few year fallout, with denials, legal technicalities etc and he made it more about him than the club or the game.

Anyway, rant over. James Hird was my childhood hero, will forever remember him getting clearance after clearance and 2 or 3 goals as part of 15 last quarter possies to come from behind and get up by a kick over west coast.

Feel better Jim.
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Very good post.
 
lethalselbow said:
Why?

Drug overdose thing completely aside:

Is he a fit individual to be on a club board? He wasn't fit to be a coach. He wasn't fit to be a leader, take responsibility, etc, etc.

Drug overdose thing included:

Should an individual under massive mental pressures be put in a pressure situation?
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Being on a club board, essentially is a volunteer role. Almost pressure free indeed.

His business credentials alone would have him suitable for the role.

Here's a challenge - can you name the former players on Essendon's board - I'll give you a hint, there is just one.
 
pazza said:
Being on a club board, essentially is a volunteer role. Almost pressure free indeed.

His business credentials alone would have him suitable for the role.

Here's a challenge - can you name the former players on Essendon's board - I'll give you a hint, there is just one.
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My old local footy club the pressure is intense and a lot of things can cause friendships to end

Mr madden
 

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Ah big footy never change

Thread has gon from reporting. To sympathetic posts.
To old foes attacking each other over old arguments in no time whatsoever
 
pazza said:
Being on a club board, essentially is a volunteer role. Almost pressure free indeed.

His business credentials alone would have him suitable for the role.

Here's a challenge - can you name the former players on Essendon's board - I'll give you a hint, there is just one.
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pazza, he will not be on the board - you can forget it. I doubt he would even want to be on the board, especially not in his current state.

I think it's at a point were Hird, for his own sake, needs to question whether it's best for him or his family to stay in Melbourne actually. That isn't fair - anyone should be free to live where they like. But the reality is, Melbourne is also a sporting fishbowl more intense in its scrutiny than almost anywhere else, and he will never have the anonymity he probably needs to get better.

Also, there are two former players on the current board, not one.
 
pazza said:
For me, I hope that once Hird has been successfully treated, he should be welcomed back, with open arms, into the football community and n ot just Essendon. Sure Essendon could see fit to have him on the club board. No-one would oppose that.
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Absolutely no chance. Hird has way too much stink on him. He'll never be involved in the football industry ever again and rightly so

I have Essendon mates who would be furious if Hird ended up back at the club.

As harsh as it is, he is done in the industry
 
Lavender Bushranger said:
Not justifying the media's approach in terms of camping out the front of his family home - but a reality check is needed for many including yourself and Graham Cornes.

Very little, if any, of the media coverage regarding Hird was actually personal.

It was all focused on his role in the doping program, and his subsequent course of action in the aftermath.

His wife went to the media to throw Demetriou under the bus.

His dad used the media on a daily basis to plead his case.

Hird himself had an open mike interview which he instigated himself.

So not all the media coverage was a case of the media hounding him.

Let's be clear about that and not rewrite history.



Regarding the nature of the media coverage of Hird - as far as I recall, it was all pretty much focused on whether or not he, professionally, held some responsibility for the doping program, and what professional consequences should be faced as a result.

It wasn't personal.


Hird told us, many times, via the media, he was innocent and did nothing wrong. He told us that when the truth came out, it'd all be cool.

He had many, many opportunities to tell this truth. He even, via the media, set up an interview to do just that.

But we got nuthin'.


Rightly, the media pushed back.


That's not harassment or vilification. It's the media engaging with a high profile person in s high profile scenario when he says he'll clear his name - then over a 2-3 year period comes up with zilch.

It's the media, and the public, calling bullshit. And rightly so.

The media had an obligation to get something from Hird.

Harrassing his family is not on. But unfortunately, once your wife does her own 'tell all' via the media - she's kind of checked into the game.


The AFL and Essendon paying him whilst suspended, was a sham we weren't meant to know about. But Hird, via the media, tried to embarrass the AFL by leaking it out.

It made his junket in France of public interest. The Essendon members were paying for it after all.



I've said this before, and I'll say it again - this saga will never be over until those involved come clean and stop bullshitting.

And as long as Dank, Hird, Essendon, the players and the AFL keep trying to hope it goes away by lying, weaseling and deflecting - the main players are always going to be under the pump. Rightly or wrongly.


People don't like being bullshitted to - and Hird has bullshitted from day 1.
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Sums it up perfectly. Great post.
 
funk44 said:
Absolutely no chance. Hird has way too much stink on him. He'll never be involved in the football industry ever again and rightly so

I have Essendon mates who would be furious if Hird ended up back at the club.

As harsh as it is, he is done in the industry
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I'd have him in a coaching role at the Dees for sure.

Edit: Assuming his mental health was fine and he didn't employ any of his mates.

Edit (2): Ehhhh we hired Lumambaman and he was batshit, no reason why Jimmy can't rock up as is.
 
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Doss said:
pazza, he will not be on the board - you can forget it. I doubt he would even want to be on the board, especially not in his current state.

I think it's at a point were Hird, for his own sake, needs to question whether it's best for him or his family to stay in Melbourne actually. That isn't fair - anyone should be free to live where they like. But the reality is, Melbourne is also a sporting fishbowl more intense in its scrutiny than almost anywhere else, and he will never have the anonymity he probably needs to get better.

Also, there are two former players on the current board, not one.
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That's a fair post
 
Doss said:
pazza, he will not be on the board - you can forget it. I doubt he would even want to be on the board, especially not in his current state.

I think it's at a point were Hird, for his own sake, needs to question whether it's best for him or his family to stay in Melbourne actually. That isn't fair - anyone should be free to live where they like. But the reality is, Melbourne is also a sporting fishbowl more intense in its scrutiny than almost anywhere else, and he will never have the anonymity he probably needs to get better.

Also, there are two former players on the current board, not one.
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Very much this.
New Zealand would be a good option i think.
Wether you are a bombers fan and love Hird for what he did as a player or an opposition fan and hate him for what he did as a coach, it is only a game and the bloke has a family and kids- for his sake and theirs he needs to gtf away.
I was as happy as larry with his suspension for cheating but dont believe that it was worthy of a death sentence.
 
Lavender Bushranger said:
Not justifying the media's approach in terms of camping out the front of his family home - but a reality check is needed for many including yourself and Graham Cornes.
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Not justifying the media's approach but allow me to spend 500 words justifying it. No body's complaining that the media shouldn't have reported the story, the entirety of the complaint is about the media's approach.
 
pazza said:
I note this afternoon Steph Hird...the eldest of the children, has felt the need to make a public statement. Steph is 16 going on 17.

For me, I hope that once Hird has been successfully treated, he should be welcomed back, with open arms, into the football community and n ot just Essendon. Sure Essendon could see fit to have him on the club board. No-one would oppose that.

The lack of comment from the AFL so far has been to be brutally honest, pathetic. Just another slap down for Gillon, Fitzpatrick et al. (Who were so quick with Franklin, Cousins and etc)
Click to expand...

I think anyone would wish him a speedy recovery. Whatever the reasons no one should wish him any physical or mental harm.

As for an open armed welcome back to the footy community, thats not an easy one considering what transpired at Essendon & Hird's subsequent court actions which prolonged everyones agony. Accepting his level of responsibility is important for his own mental health as well as for the footy community.

None the less, Hird has had success in business, so he's not going to starve once his health improves.
 
pazza said:
I note this afternoon Steph Hird...the eldest of the children, has felt the need to make a public statement. Steph is 16 going on 17.

For me, I hope that once Hird has been successfully treated, he should be welcomed back, with open arms, into the football community and n ot just Essendon. Sure Essendon could see fit to have him on the club board. No-one would oppose that.

The lack of comment from the AFL so far has been to be brutally honest, pathetic. Just another slap down for Gillon, Fitzpatrick et al. (Who were so quick with Franklin, Cousins and etc)
Click to expand...

It's disgusting.

Everybody blames the media, ok... they play a part.

But if they're told something, they report it.

Who drove this sick agenda?

The AFL, in particular Demetriou and McLaughlin.

The leaking and planting was constant and targeted. As were the dirty tricks.

It was the standard AFL procedure writ large: we need one evil character to pin this on, one bad apple. There's nothing wrong with the institution, it's just one dodgy customer.

It happened to Dean Bailey as well. No tribunal hearing. No defending yourself. You'll cop this or we'll destroy your career.

Now the smooth-talking weasel McLaughlan cannot even summon a statement of support.

He should be sacked for his part in driving a man to the edge of death.
 
Forward Press said:
He's not Osama bin Laden FFS. In the grand scheme of things, even if you think Hird was the mastermind of the whole thing and deliberately lied to everyone and administered the drugs himself to his players, it's a sport. For our entertainment. No one died. No one got injured. No one lost a family member. Ultimately all that happened was a handful of players sat out of their jobs for a year and some dude handed back a medal. It's not that important and has zero effect on my life.

Those saying karma or similar things are dickheads and need to take a good long hard look at themselves.

All the best to James Hird and I hope he gets well soon. And that is unconditional. Period.
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What the hell are you on about? All I said is that I don't care much for James Hird. I'm not wishing any harm on the guy but I'm not sympathetic either.
 
Bunk Moreland said:
It's disgusting.

Everybody blames the media, ok... they play a part.

But if they're told something, they report it.

Who drove this sick agenda?

The AFL, in particular Demetriou and McLaughlin.

The leaking and planting was constant and targeted. As were the dirty tricks.

It was the standard AFL procedure writ large: we need one evil character to pin this on, one bad apple. There's nothing wrong with the institution, it's just one dodgy customer.

It happened to Dean Bailey as well. No tribunal hearing. No defending yourself. You'll cop this or we'll destroy your career.

Now the smooth-talking weasel McLaughlan cannot even summon a statement of support.

He should be sacked for his part in driving a man to the edge of death.
Click to expand...
How do we know for sure this anything to do with footy?
 
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