Suspended Essendon mentor James Hird may be justified in keeping a firm stance of not stepping down as coach and of not admitting the then accusations thrown against him.

Human rights lawyer Julian Burnside made revelations that supported Hird's innocence, said AFL.com, citing a 3AW interview.

"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."

"And James was not aware of that."

"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."

"What more is a bloke supposed to do?"

He stressed that Hird would have won the case had he resorted to judicial action, but would have prolonged the case for 3 to 4 months.

Burnside maintains that Hird's acts were heroic and courageous given the circumstances. However, he was dismayed of what he witnessed in the commission hearing and of the proliferation of information to the media which were supposed to be kept confidential.

"I don't like what I saw ... (there was) not a great sense of natural justice ... What I saw worried me a lot."

"I'm not sure who leaked it, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't the players or the club."

The primordial consideration for Hird is the welfare of the club and his players so much so that he was willing to sacrifice his own reputation, according to Burside.

"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.

"He's been brutally maligned in the press over the past six months - I don't know how he has managed to survive it - and he has wanted to show that he is not guilty of anything.

"But against that, he wanted to do the right thing by the club and the game.

"I reckon what he did tonight was nothing short of heroic."

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