"The driving consideration for James right from the start was to do the best he could for the players he loves, the club he loves and the game he loves," Burnside said.
Complete and utter tripe, this bit. James Hird was only in this to save himself. If he wanted to do right by the club, why did he not accept the AFL's original premise a couple of weeks ago that had a fine half of what they have now, and would have still had their draft picks.
Even his press conference was all about himself. When asked why he is taking a writ out on the AFL he responded to the tune of "I want to restore MY reputation, and the charges laid against ME are not what I am about, as a person." He did not once mention Thompson, Corcoran or Reid when asnwering this question, instead turning it into a spiel about himself.
"A couple of cowboys came into the joint, and despite James laying down firm and clear rules about what was to be done, the suggestion is that those people acted in defiance of those rules," Burnside said.
"And James was not aware of that.
So what about Dr. Reid's letter in regards to the supplements program that was addressed to
JAMES HIRD? That shows he was either heavily involved in the program, or he was the mastermind behind it all. My guess is a bit of both.
"He made it clear right from the start that anything given to the players had to be legal, had to be given the OK by ASADA and WADA, and had to be approved by the club doctor, and had to be given with the informed consent of the players.
"He reiterated that several times very firmly.
If that is the case, why did Essendon only inquire about AOD9604 to ASADA, and not WADA? If they had of contacted WADA about their supplements, they would have known that many of them were banned. So this is a blatant lie. This also indicts Bruce Reid for incompetence and negligence, by saying that he had to approve everything. Throwing Reid under the bus big time, here.
"It's important to understand that saying you're sorry is an expression of regret," he said.
"It's not saying, 'I did something bad.'
So, for the past 6 months of James Hird pleading his innocence and saying that the club had no case to answer for, why is he regretful and remorseful. You do not show regret and remorse unless you are guilty of something.