Essendon AFL coach James Hird’s defence of charges he brought the game into disrepute has begun with a demand that an independent tribunal conduct a public hearing into the matter.
Hird’s legal team have written to the AFL stating that league chief executive Andrew Demetriou has a conflict of interest and should not decide penalties in the case, Fairfax Media has reported.
The letter demands a hearing of the matter no earlier than two weeks after the end of the AFL finals and contains a categorical refusal to take part in a closed AFL Commission hearing.
It reportedly sets an August 19 deadline for an AFL response.
Hird, Essendon and senior club officials Mark Thompson and Danny Corcoran and club doctor Bruce Reid were charged with bringing the game into disrepute on Tuesday over their roles in the Bombers’ 2011-12 supplements program.
They are due to front the AFL Commission on August 26.
The commission has sweeping powers and can suspend Hird if it finds him guilty, as well as stripping Essendon of premiership points, fining them and taking away draft picks.
Hird’s lawyers reportedly claim the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) interim report was an attempt to stitch up Hird.
Hird, the joint 1996 Brownlow Medallist and a two-time Bombers premiership player, said on Wednesday it was “terribly disappointing” to be charged with bringing the game into disrepute.
“We’re obviously going to defend ourselves vigorously,” Hird said on Wednesday.
“We’ve got to contend the charges, we’ve got to make sure we’re proven not guilty and we’ll go from there.
“We’ll support each other. It’s interesting that the four of us have been identified as the blackest day in Australia’s sporting history now, so we take that very seriously.”
For now, there have been no anti-doping charges against players, though the report handed down is an interim one.
ASADA continues to investigate Essendon, with no timeframe on when it will confirm whether it will issue anti-doping infraction notices to players.
Former ASADA chairman Richard Ings has criticised the anti-doping agency for lack of public communication and called on it to clarify the progress of its investigation into Essendon.
Meanwhile, Carlton coach Mick Malthouse predicts a shambolic build-up to the finals series should the prospect of court action and stripping of premiership points come into play.
If the Bombers lose points, it would open the door for the ninth-placed side to qualify for the finals series starting on September 6.
Malthouse’s Blues are currently ninth, while West Coast, North Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane could also grab the spot.
“It’s going to be a shambles at the end of the year,” Malthouse told Melbourne radio station 3AW.
