If the rumours are true about a $6M+ payout in the event of being sacked, I can entirely see why Hird wants the club to sack him.

It would be right up Essendon AND Hird's alleys to put such a moronic clause in a contract. The arrogance of both parties is only equaled by their stupidity.

If the rumours are true about a $6M+ payout in the event of being sacked, I can entirely see why Hird wants the club to sack him.

It would be right up Essendon AND Hird's alleys to put such a moronic clause in a contract. The arrogance of both parties is only equaled by their stupidity.

That $6m has got to be a load of garbage

That $6m has got to be a load of garbage

We are talking about Essendon here, hardly known for intelligent decisions. It's not far removed from the equally high payout clauses that high-level managers get in the corporate world.

Don't forget Hird's wife is a lawyer, too.

We are talking about Essendon here, hardly known for intelligent decisions. It's not far removed from the equally high payout clauses that high-level managers get in the corporate world.

Don't forget Hird's wife is a lawyer, too.

i know, i know, but $6m is just too monty python for me

i know, i know, but $6m is just too monty python for me

Yep, good story but surely they couldn't be that stupid...

Yep, good story but surely they couldn't be that stupid...

No, just stupid enough to run an experimental drug program and expect to get away with it, but not stupid enough to put in some $6m payout?

Where does stupidity start and finish? Bulla Road?

Evidence mounts, maybe the end is nigh. But this better not finish too soon or I will have blown my dosh on a contract for 3 years supply of popcorn.

From the sound of it it was found from routine samples. That means that if they can tie the injection date, as per the hopeless records, and say it was just before the test was taken then they could deduce they were all injected with it but due to be short period it is detectable they others don't have positives as they were injected too long before the sample was taken.

The complicating factor is that the test is in development and as far as I know it is not ratified by WADA for these purposes. This means the best they can say is it provides an indication rather than proof. The defence will jump all over that point and try and have is thrown out. Depends what the judges think as to the weight they give it. If they accept it then the players are f'd.

For Essendon, Hird and the players, it's just another brick in the wall called "comfortable satisfaction".

And so the edifice ESSENDON has carefully built up starts to crumble before our very eyes well before the November hearing.

WADA finds 'abnormally high' TB4 levels in Essendon players

For those of you who express doubt about how important this is, I remind you that CAS interpretation of Comfortable Satisfaction" will be much less onerous than was deemed necessary at the AFL tribunal, AND WADA is likely to be able to compel witnesses to testify and to be under oath. CAS has convicted for a lot less proof than this on numerous occasions in overseas cases. This revelation is just another nail in the coffin. This is now looking very bad for the players, Hird and Essendon.

My understanding is that this is the first of a number of such revelations we shall see before the November hearing. Also seems to show the issue we discussed here extensively several months ago - namely the emergence of a credible test for TB4, has also been put to bed, or is close to being.

It starts to make Hird's legal bleetings look even more absurd if that is possible, and builds a case for Hird to be fired for underperformance and breaking the law, both of which would be grounds for dismissal without compensation in most employment contract (yes I know this is Essendon!). This might also explain why he has not gone by now because Little and the Board have started to face reality, and feel they will have firm grounds for dismissal without compensation after the November hearings. Where is Little by the way - seems to have gone to ground completely, and now almost never defends Hird in public. Another sign he is cooked.

And so the edifice ESSENDON has carefully built up starts to crumble before our very eyes well before the November hearing.

WADA finds 'abnormally high' TB4 levels in Essendon players

For those of you who express doubt about how important this is, I remind you that CAS interpretation of Comfortable Satisfaction" will be much less onerous than was deemed necessary at the AFL tribunal, AND WADA is likely to be able to compel witnesses to testify and to be under oath. CAS has convicted for a lot less proof than this on numerous occasions in overseas cases. This revelation is just another nail in the coffin. This is now looking very bad for the players, Hird and Essendon.

My understanding is that this is the first of a number of such revelations we shall see before the November hearing. Also seems to show the issue we discussed here extensively several months ago - namely the emergence of a credible test for TB4, has also been put to bed, or is close to being.

It starts to make Hird's legal bleetings look even more absurd if that is possible, and builds a case for Hird to be fired for underperformance and breaking the law, both of which would be grounds for dismissal without compensation in most employment contract (yes I know this is Essendon!). This might also explain why he has not gone by now because Little and the Board have started to face reality, and feel they will have firm grounds for dismissal without compensation after the November hearings. Where is Little by the way - seems to have gone to ground completely, and now almost never defends Hird in public. Another sign he is cooked.

Compelling argument. Bring it on WADA!

And so the edifice ESSENDON has carefully built up starts to crumble before our very eyes well before the November hearing.

WADA finds 'abnormally high' TB4 levels in Essendon players

For those of you who express doubt about how important this is, I remind you that CAS interpretation of Comfortable Satisfaction" will be much less onerous than was deemed necessary at the AFL tribunal, AND WADA is likely to be able to compel witnesses to testify and to be under oath. CAS has convicted for a lot less proof than this on numerous occasions in overseas cases. This revelation is just another nail in the coffin. This is now looking very bad for the players, Hird and Essendon.

My understanding is that this is the first of a number of such revelations we shall see before the November hearing. Also seems to show the issue we discussed here extensively several months ago - namely the emergence of a credible test for TB4, has also been put to bed, or is close to being.

It starts to make Hird's legal bleetings look even more absurd if that is possible, and builds a case for Hird to be fired for underperformance and breaking the law, both of which would be grounds for dismissal without compensation in most employment contract (yes I know this is Essendon!). This might also explain why he has not gone by now because Little and the Board have started to face reality, and feel they will have firm grounds for dismissal without compensation after the November hearings. Where is Little by the way - seems to have gone to ground completely, and now almost never defends Hird in public. Another sign he is cooked.

Damian Barrett was right - Hird is trying to get sacked ... no doubt he took the insurer to court to try get Little and the EFC to terminate him and then sue for unfair dismissal or breach of contract

He must have got wind of the TB4 story, and I bet there is a clause in his contract that says if players do test positive he is sacked without any payout.

Good night James. Get out the popcorn folks!

An interesting timeline at play here:

-WADA handed its brief (with the new TB4 evidence) to other parties on July 9.

-Players would have had a verbal 'heads up' on what was in the brief in the week of July 1.

-About July 2 Jobe started talking about 'not enjoying footy anymore' and retiring at eos! Just laying the groundwork for an announcement...!

-Ess collapsed against StK on July 5.

-On July 6 they have a pow-wow and decide to 'play the kids' (getting ready for suspensions of other players next year I suspect).

-On July 7 Jobe Watson pulls out of the rest of the season with a 'shoulder' injury.

I would bet my bottom dollar they all knew about the TB4 tests going into the StK game.

Its why they continue to play like cra p.

The Essendon apologists certainly scratch around. That bloke on Radio National AM was at it again. I admit I wasn't listening carefully, but I think he was saying the fact that only 2 players had a 'bad' result indicated it was innocent because all of players would have had the same result. But I thought this was a result of a random test which surely would not be done to an entire team at once?

Think about it.

Hird's antagonistic behaviour also started after the July 5 game vs StK:

- At his StK post game press conf Hird:

- blames the players

- goes on his provocative "AFL is made up of ordinary people/they don't want the truth" campaign, apparently breaching his 'no criticism' contract clause with the AFL.

But the AFL are also a cunning lot! They chose not to sanction him for this apparent breach. They can see what he is angling for!

- last weekend vs the Bulldogs, Hird again blames the players

- this week he sues EFC's insurance coy!

So now he wants out and he wants buckets of money to take and will devise all sorts of cunning ploys to achieve that end.

But there is more to this complex, Narcissistic character.

He long ago thru his then best friend David Evans under a bus and then went to war with his Club and the AFL.

But now he has reached a new low and fully and totally abandoned his players.

Yes, the same players in whose interests he has been acting all along. Of course no-one ever believed that line!

He should stand shoulder to shoulder and face the music with the players.

He won't. He is looking like a coward.

Think about it.

An animated version of your moniker!

An animated version of your moniker!

Think about it.

"James isn't well he's back at the Hotel..."

The Essendon apologists certainly scratch around. That bloke on Radio National AM was at it again. I admit I wasn't listening carefully, but I think he was saying the fact that only 2 players had a 'bad' result indicated it was innocent because all of players would have had the same result. But I thought this was a result of a random test which surely would not be done to an entire team at once?

my understanding too

in fact if one wanted to be a smartarz you could say "all essendon players tested that day showed elevated levels of tb4"

Chris

You forget this is not a court of law. Its CAS. They can attribute whatever weight they deem appropriate to whatever. Its their game now.

I don't understand this. Doesn't CAS mean "Court of Arbitration for Sport"? What does the "Court" mean if it's not a court of law?

I don't understand this. Doesn't CAS mean "Court of Arbitration for Sport"? What does the "Court" mean if it's not a court of law?

think bub meant to say "not a court of criminal law"

Caro was on to something when she said Hird should resign and donate his salary back to the club. She knows his strategy and threw the issue back into his face.

actually. .yes.

Has nothing to do with the defences stand. Its what CAS apply.

The defences case will be put forward to the judges and they will take this into account when deciding the weight to put on the tests. They may ignore it, they make go with the defence, that is up to the judges.

The Essendon apologists certainly scratch around. That bloke on Radio National AM was at it again. I admit I wasn't listening carefully, but I think he was saying the fact that only 2 players had a 'bad' result indicated it was innocent because all of players would have had the same result. But I thought this was a result of a random test which surely would not be done to an entire team at once?

That's like Hird claiming the players were proven innocent. They were nothing of the sort.

We know already that he is delusional......