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Paying James Hird in advance for 2014

My interest in sport is, well, about  less than Zero but I do find some of the machinations and politics of various  codes rather amusing for the passions that they invoke. The rather neat way that Essendon have managed to find a way to keep James Hird in grocery money while he is suspended during 2014 would have to get a very big tick for ingenuity though:

A FIERCE dispute between the AFL and Essendon over whether James Hird could be paid while suspended has meekly ended in farce, with the league endorsing a contrived arrangement in which the banned coach will receive his entire salary for next year before Christmas. The extraordinary capitulation by the AFL, which came a day after league chief executive Andrew Demetriou threatened to withhold regular funding from Essendon until it stopped paying Hird, came as the club was preparing to take the league to court. Having sworn to "go to my grave" with the knowledge that Essendon was not paying Hird, Mr Demetriou has now accepted the club will pay Hird his salary as stipulated by his three-year coaching contract. Under the terms agreed to last night, next year's salary will be paid this year. In a joint statement, the AFL and Essendon said: "The AFL has accepted the Essendon Football Club's position that James will not be paid in 2014 and equally the AFL have accepted that the Essendon Football Club has the right to make payments to James Hird in the 2013 year as it sees fit."


In a joint statement, the AFL and Essendon said: “The AFL has accepted the Essendon Football Club’s position that James will not be paid in 2014 and equally the AFL have accepted that the Essendon Football Club has the right to make payments to James Hird in the 2013 year as it sees fit.”

Sir Humphrey Appleby would be beaming with absolute approval at this bit of nonsense. Personally I think that it proves for once and all that there is no sportsmanship once the  spivs and lawyers get involved with sport.

Cheers Comrades

Fat_ballerina_falls