Former Essendon football boss Danny Corcoran believes ex-coach James Hird has been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder for years as a consequence of the four-year battle over the notorious Essendon supplements saga.
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Hird has been hospitalised since taking an overdose 11 days ago, when an ambulance was called to his home.
"Two years ago I said to James, 'No one in the history of Australian sport has ever suffered as much humiliation or persecution and that is going to take its toll on you," Corcoran said in an interview with News Corp, published on Saturday.
"I started to notice little things about him being erratic and angry. He couldn't see anything positive about life after his treatment.
"I said, 'You need some help and you should get professional advice'.
"But like a lot of men, help was offered and ... rejected.
"He is a victim and is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, I've got no doubt about it. He endured four years of harassment and eventually he just snapped."
The AFLPA has reached out to Hird to offer help, while other prominent football figures including Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley, former Hawthorn president and mental health advocate Jeff Kennett, and Essendon chief Lindsay Tanner, have offered support.
Hird's wife Tania has asked for privacy on behalf of the family, while his father Allan recently accused AFL officials of being "thugs" and "bullies" who operated without a "moral compass" in relation to Hird.
Hird, 43, has kept a low public profile since he left his job as Essendon coach in August 2015.
Corcoran alleged that AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick told him, during a conversation in March in 2016, that Hird "will never get back into football".
It was reported that while Fitzpatrick had confirmed speaking to Corcoran, he denied making that statement.
Corcoran was banned for four months for his role in the supplements saga, and he acknowledged the personal and professional damage that had been unleashed as a result of the infamous injecting program.
"The ugly and uncomfortable truth is we – and when I say we, that's everyone who was involved at Essendon – put the players and their families through sheer hell," Corcoran said.
"I accept that, and so should everyone at the club from top to bottom, some more than others.
"There is no doubt mistakes were made in the employment of Stephen Dank and Dean Robinson."
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