{"id":330769,"date":"2023-09-13T21:12:13","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T21:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=330769"},"modified":"2023-09-13T22:01:00","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T22:01:00","slug":"wake-up-call-that-brought-troubled-great-back-to-afl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=330769","title":{"rendered":"'Wake-up call' that brought troubled great back to AFL"},"content":{"rendered":"

E\ufeffx-Essendon champion and Geelong premiership coach Mark 'Bomber' Thompson<\/a> has opened up on his hesitation to re-enter the AFL's spotlight after exiting on sour terms.<\/p>\n

Thompson is back in the game after outgoing AFL<\/a> CEO Gillon McLachlan<\/a> confirmed Bomber would present the Jock McHale Medal to the premiership-winning coach on grand final day.<\/a><\/p>\n

He led Geelong to premiership glory in 2007 and 2009\ufeff before returning to Essendon as a senior assistant coach in November 2010. He was sacked at the end of 2014 following the club's supplements saga.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> What bothered Gus about Knight's biting claims<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> 'Injustice' claims as AFL turns down appeal option<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Serena Williams' pointed message after rival's doping ban<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The 59-year-old was later arrested and charged with drug-related offences following police raids on his Port Melbourne home in 2018.<\/p>\n

But in 2023, Thompson\ufeff has forgiven himself in order to come back into the fold of the game to play a different role.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

"I was really aggressive, I was really defensive and I was trying to … get (my) name cleared. But then it got to the point where you just lose interest in footy, which I did\ufeff," Thompson said on Nine's Footy Classified<\/em> on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

"Now, I'm starting to come back. Time heals everything and it's all healed for me now\ufeff. It's still there, I can't get rid of it, but it's not as if I hang onto it now, I just let it go."<\/p>\n

His journey back hasn't been an easy one, with the two-time premiership coach reflecting on the moment he knew he needed to step\ufeff away from the game.<\/p>\n

"The night I heard Hirdy (James Hird)\ufeff tried to take his life, was probably the one. Why does the game need to get to this point?" Thompson said.<\/p>\n

\"He<\/p>\n

"That's a bit of a wake-up call for everyone, a bit of a wake-up call for me\ufeff. Don't take it so serious."<\/p>\n

Thompson explained that despite not speaking with Hird regularly, the pair will always "support each other".<\/p>\n

"\ufeffWe don't talk to each other that often, but we've had each other's back and we're going to continue to do that and support each other," Thompson said.<\/p>\n

As for his sour exit from the game, Thompson says he holds no grudges as he looks ahead to his important role on grand final day, where he will be faced with old foes.<\/p>\n

\"Thompson<\/p>\n

"I can't (have ill will)\ufeff. We're lucky to be alive. We're all getting a bit older," he said.<\/p>\n

"I'll just go in and say hello. Bring your cameras there but you won't see anything there, nothing from the news."<\/p>\n

\ufeffUpon reflection, Thompson says he is satisfied with his contribution to the game, but also admits he is looking forward to what grand final day may bring.<\/p>\n

Footy Classified is now available as a podcast! Subscribe\/follow via<\/strong><\/em> Apple<\/strong><\/em><\/a>,<\/strong><\/em> Spotify<\/strong><\/em><\/a> or<\/strong><\/em> Google Podcasts<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

"I don't want a role in football, I'm happy to … watch it and play a light role," he said.<\/p>\n

"You never really get away from the game. I'm happy with my time\ufeff.<\/p>\n

"I look in the mirror and know that what I've done was ethical and everything else is OK.\ufeff I've never really had any self doubts in what I did."<\/p>\n

If you or anyone you know needs immediate support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or via<\/strong> lifeline.org.au<\/strong><\/a>. In an emergency, call 000.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

E\ufeffx-Essendon champion and Geelong premiership coach Mark 'Bomber' Thompson has opened up on his hesitation to re-enter the AFL's spotlight after exiting on sour terms. […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":330771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330769"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=330769"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":330775,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330769\/revisions\/330775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/330771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=330769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=330769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=330769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}