Mark Thompson says he’s sorry for whole Essendon supplements saga and suspensions

ESSENDON great Mark Thompson is sorry. Sorry for not stopping the drugs program, sorry players were suspended, sorry for the whole damn saga.

Mark Thompson in his time as Essendon coach. Picture: Sarah Reed

MARK Thompson has finally said sorry.

Sorry to the Essendon players for not stopping the drugs program, sorry that they were suspended, sorry for the whole damn saga.

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“I am sorry for those things that happened to the players, we’re all sorry for what happened,” he said.

I didn’t take enough responsibility really in the whole program ... I knew it was wrong ethically, not legally wrong.

Mark Thompson

“Others have said sorry and I’m sorry too for not doing anything about it. I couldn’t change the result, couldn’t change the fact that what happened has caused so much trauma.”

Naturally, the more intriguing chapters in Thompson’s biography, Bomber, surround his stint at Essendon from 2012 to 2016, but Thompson is much more than a character in a sporting tragedy.

He was a local Airport West boy who played under-19s, played in two premierships in his first three senior seasons at Essendon (1984-85), captained a premiership (1993), coached premierships (Geelong 2007, ’09) and who returned to Essendon on the golden ticket only to leave after what is certainly the darkest period in the club’s history.

The book was supposed to be a boots and all. But after the lawyers got hold off it — and there hasn’t been a shortage of lawyers on this subject — it became boots without absolutely all.

Thompson may be accused by some at Essendon of rewriting history, but he steadfastly rejects that.

Mark Thompson watches Jobe Watson at Essendon training in 2014. Picture: Colleen Petch

Those same Essendon people, some still at the club and some long gone, say nothing happened in late 2011 and 2012 when Stephen Dank was involved without Thompson’s imprimatur.

“That’s not true,” he said.

Some of those people privately question whether Thompson has taken enough responsibility for what happened.

“I didn’t take enough responsibility really in the whole program,” he said. “I knew it was wrong ethically, not legally wrong. We were going to always be the subject of some sort of integrity issues. In saying that, it’s pretty hard to do something about it when you’re part of the team when you’re not breaking rules, either.”

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Thompson claims he and senior football official Danny Corcoran did not want to employ Dank. “Not because of what he did, I purely didn’t want to him because I didn’t think we needed someone to do that role.”

Thompson’s word was sceptical. “We were going to invest a lot of time and money in supplements I truly didn’t think they were that important, I was sceptical for that reason.”

And Dean Robinson? He knew him, he liked him, he was part of the process to employ high performance manager, but wasn’t responsible for his employment.

The vastly experienced Thompson’s role at Essendon was odd. It was thought he would have an over-arching responsibility of the football department.

Mark Thompson talks to James Hird during a game in 2013.

He says, however, that wasn’t the case and that instead he concentrated on training standards, changing the diet, a bigger gymnasium and the communication between coaches and coaches/players. He was aware, he said, that James Hird was coach.

“I never wanted to step on his feet because ultimately he had to make the decisions because he was coach,” he said.

I don’t care if people think I’m wacky ... probably I’m too independent and I want things my own way.

Mark Thompson

Thompson and Hird have not spoken for some time. Thompson has not told Hird what he has written in the book, but Thompson believes their relationship won’t be affected the contents.

“I had to carefully consider what I said because people can read something and want to perceive, or think, there was a feud between us,” he said. “There wasn’t at all, and still not now as far I’m concerned.

“Out of all this, everyone’s got very defensive, everyone’s tried to survive themselves, and I’m no different to James and the AFL.

“Everyone is trying to say it wasn’t ‘my fault’ ... it’s all our fault and James’ fault too because ultimately he did want the supplement program. He’s got every right to because it’s an important part of each club’s program. But we were looking at having the very best supplement program compared to other clubs, which I certainly had not seen or experienced.”

Did the supplement regimen consume Hird?

“Knowing what you do in a normal week as a senior coach, it probably consumed him more than what I would’ve given time to.

Mark Thompson is sorry that Essendon players were suspended over the supplements saga.

“But I’ve said all along he’s been betrayed as a big monster when he didn’t deserve that at all. Absolutely. The mistakes he’s made shouldn’t mean he was crucified like he has.”

His thoughts on the AFL, which was then led by Andrew Demetriou, are made known but not deeply detailed. “They admitted they made mistakes, too,” he said.

His standing belief was that when drug samples of Essendon players were sent to Germany in 2012, the AFL should’ve raised their concerns with the club, which they didn’t. “They had a responsibility to go to ASADA, too, which everyone is bound by,” he said.

A much-revered football figure before returning to Essendon, Thompson remains haunted by accusations of being a drugs cheat.

“It’s hurt me a lot,” he said. “A lot of people say you’ve just got to get over it and you won’t move forward until you do, but it’s a very easy thing to say. I try to say to myself all the time, try to wipe it from my mind, but it’s still there. It will be there forever.”

The Geelong stuff in the book is pure footy. He could’ve been more forthcoming on his departure from Geelong to Essendon, but he says there’s not more to tell.

Books are a reflection and Thompson admits he’s been “difficult to work with and difficult to live it”.

“I don’t care if people think I’m wacky ... probably I’m too independent and I want things my own way,” he said.

“You know what I’ve become, I’ve become less tolerant. And as you get older it’s bad thing to have because you almost get to the point where you don’t give people a chance, you become a dictator.”

It’s up to the people, he said, to decide if he will remembered for what happened at Essendon or the for the totality of a wonderful career.