James Hird Attends Hearing On His ASADA Appeal

Essendon coach James Hird attended another hearing at the Federal Court on November 11. Hird went there all by himself, and despite the little interest of his club and players in the case, the 41-year-old is glad that he is able to appeal against a ruling by the Federal Court about Essendon doping concerns.

"We're very happy to have had our chance to put our case forward," Hird said via the Herald Sun. "We now look forward to the decision and go from there."

Justices Susan Kenny, Tony Besanko, and Richard White have reportedly held their decision in reserve and did not say when it would be handed down. It is anticipated that the justices will reveal the judgment at later date, just before the Court takes a break for the holiday season until February 2015.

The Story So Far

In April 2013, Hird was accused of injecting performance-enhancing supplements in 2011 and 2012. Hird accepted the charges but asserted that he did little wrong. He was banned from working for an AFL club for one year starting August 2013. Hird was allowed, however, to watch Essendon matches.

On September 19, Justice John Middleton ruled against Hird and Essendon. Hird instigated a legal action against Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, or ASADA. Hird wanted ASADA's joint investigation that it has carried out with the AFL to be declared unlawful, but he failed.

Hird filed an appeal against the ruling. ASADA, on the other hand, has sent show-cause notices to 34 Essendon players (current and former) charging them with the use of banned substance peptide Thymosin Beta 4.

However, the players opted not to answer ASADA's request for show-cause notices. Instead, the Essendon players preferred to have the AFL's anti-doping committee conduct their own investigation on the case. Hird still pushed his case in a solo appeal against the September Federal Court ruling.

The Federal Court has considered Hird's appeal. As stated prior, the justices are expected to issue a judgment in the coming months. As for the 34 Essendon players, they are likely to face suspensions if they are found culpable.