Essendon - AFL Talks Continue for Second Day
Negotiations between the AFL and Essendon Football Club continue on Tuesday, as both parties were unable to reach a deal the day before.
Among the bones of contention for the club were the disrepute charges that the AFL laid last week, as assistant coach Mark Thompson claimed that Essendon was "nowhere near" accepting the commission's accusations that he and others involved were drug cheats.
"I am not -- so that's what I am fighting on, my reputation and integrity, and I want to clear my name," Thompson said.
Coach James Hird, who started legal action against the league on Thursday, is considering pushing through with his Supreme Court writ that aimed to block the AFL commission from hearing the charges brought against him and to force the league to furnish more details about the said charges. He is, however, still open to negotiating with the commission.
"We're starting up tomorrow morning again at 10," Hird's lawyer, Julian Burnside QC, told reporters on Monday after a marathon session that lasted until 7 in the evening.
Among the possible sanctions on the club are the loss of points, suspension of the coaching staff and the docking of the club's future draft picks.
In the meantime, the impasse has left many commenters on social media -- both pro- and anti-Essendon -- irritated and impatient.
The AFL should just TELL Essendon what their penalties are. Don't negotiate the meat from the charges, damn the cheating bastards!
— just arb (@justarb) August 27, 2013
So I admit I am a total ignoramus on the whole #Essendon thing but the very idea of "negotiating you punishment" is effing crazy. Seriously. — L (@CiscoSaysNeigh) August 27, 2013
Maybe Essendon should be forcibly relocated to Tasmania? #AFL
— Glenn Tweedie (@nocache) August 27, 2013