Former AFL champion and Essendon coach James Hird is believed to be in hospital after suffering a health scare, believed to be an overdose.
Although officials are refusing to comment, Fairfax Media understands an ambulance was called to his address in Toorak just after 10pm on Wednesday.
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Although officials are refusing to comment, Fairfax Media understands an ambulance was called to Former AFL champion and Essendon coach James Hird's address in Toorak just after 10pm on Wednesday. Vision courtesy Seven News Melbourne.
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James Hird rushed to hospital after 'overdose'
Although officials are refusing to comment, Fairfax Media understands an ambulance was called to Former AFL champion and Essendon coach James Hird's address in Toorak just after 10pm on Wednesday. Vision courtesy Seven News Melbourne.
Hird is believed to have been taken to hospital after an overdose.
It's believed he was taken to Cabrini Hospital in Malvern then moved to another facility. A spokesperson for Cabrini would neither confirm nor deny Hird had been treated there.
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Hird's wife Tania left their home on Thursday afternoon without commenting.
A spokesman for the Essendon Football Club said officials had made attempts to contact the Hird family.
The club was unlikely to comment further until it had more information from the Hirds.
Hird, 43, played more than 250 games for the Bombers and was, as senior coach, at the centre of the 2012 Essendon supplements scandal.
It's understood Hird has lost many of the close relationships he formed with Essendon people.
The most public of those was his falling out with former close mate and Bomber chairman David Evans. There has also been a toll taken on the usually unshakeable bonds between premiership teammates.
Hird has been conspicuous by his absence at many of the reunions held by the 2000 premiership side he led to the single-most successful season by a team in AFL history.
He was a no-show again at the most recent reunion, telling associates that he couldn't face some people who would be there.
The Brownlow medallist has maintained ties with only a handful of teammates from that team.
Many have attempted to contact him to offer their support in vain. Increasingly frustrated at not being allowed to help, some have switched off.
Hird was banned by the AFL and spent a year away from the game, before returning to the club and tearfully resigning as coach in August 2015 after a series of heavy losses.
"To my family and friends ... I am truly sorry for what you have had to endure," Hird said at the time. "In making this decision (to resign), I hope we all get a chance to move on and enjoy how wonderful life really is.
"I think the whole three years has been very tough on my family.
"It's put a lot of strain on everyone, a lot of stress on a lot of parts of my family life.
"I think it'll be just good for the family to get some space from the media spotlight."
A two-time premiership player with Essendon, Hird won five club best-and-fairest awards and was All-Australian five times.
He has kept a low profile since May last year when he lost a court bid to have an insurance company pay his legal bills of close to $660,000 over the long-running supplements saga.
The Essendon supplements saga exploded into the public domain in February 2013 when club officials, including Hird, fronted a press conference to announce the club had "self reported" its programme to the AFL and anti-doping body ASADA.
Thirty four players were eventually banned from the AFL for 12 months, wiping out their 2016 seasons. In January last year, in a television interview, Hird said those players had been sacrificed to send an anti-drugs message.
In October last year, in one of the final acts of the saga, a Swiss Court dismissed an appeal from the 34 Essendon players against their doping bans.
With Rohan Connolly
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