19. PETER BLUNDEN 2 JANUARY 2015

I am still miffed at you calling me an obnoxious bully while at the same time condoning your newspaper’s disgraceful coverage of the Essendon saga.

The biggest story in the saga will obviously be the decision of the three tribunal members as to whether the Essendon players were administered Thymosin Beta-4.

The second biggest story was undoubtedly whether the AFL had any legal responsibility to provide a safe workplace for the Essendon players; whether the AFL fulfilled that responsibility; and if it didn’t, what penalties should be applied to those responsible for the failures.

I provided chapter and verse to you and your journalists as to why the AFL had a duty of care to the Essendon players.

I provided many examples of how the AFL failed its duty of care and had governance failures greater than those at Essendon. Inexplicably, although Mr Demetriou didn’t inject anyone, metaphorically speaking, he sat back and watched other people inject the Essendon players for over 12 months. According to “I have never told a lie Demetriou”, he sat back and allowed the players to be injected over 10,000 times.

I made a case that the AFL was more responsible than the Essendon board.

I highlighted that Essendon was fined $2 million; lost draft picks; was kicked out of the finals; Hird was suspended for 12 months; Thompson was fined $30,000 and many officials – Evans, Robson, Hamilton, Corcoran and Robinson – lost their jobs.

I made a case that Fitzpatrick, the Commissioners, McLachlan, Dillon and Clothier should be sacked.

And what did you and your newspaper do? Nothing, zilch, bugger all. It is beyond my comprehension how anyone close to the sports department or editorial desk at the Herald Sun could ignore all of the above and still have the audacity to call themselves journalists or newspaper people. I know I can improve. But you and your newspaper are a lost cause. It would be hard to recall more damage to the profession than has been done during last 20+ months.