DUAL Geelong premiership coach Mark Thompson believes a News Limited article published this week linking the club to controversial sports scientist Stephen Dank was an attempt to tarnish the Cats' 2007 and 2009 flags.
The report claimed the Cats had used Dank's company to purchase a legal supplement, Actovegin, to be used by the players in 2009.
Geelong initially brushed off any talk of any dealings with Dank, before admitting then assistant general manager of football operations Steve Hocking met with the scientist.
Thompson told Fox Footy he had no knowledge of any dealings between the club and Dank and that the News Limited story was written purely to harm Geelong's famed premiership era.
"It has, and it will," Thomson said when asked if the report tarnished the club's premierships.
"When it's on the front page of the paper, what percentage of people actually just read that or see that, put it in their brain and say 'Geelong and Dank, premiership, drugs'.
"If Dank's name got bought up for working at Geelong, I didn't know about it.
"Steve Hocking would have had a meeting with his people, the medical department, the high performance (team), and said 'should we consider this? No.'
"Steven went and met him, I didn't even know Steven met him.
"(It was) Fantastic compliance and governance (by the club)."
A fired-up Thompson went on to say he was deeply offended by the report.
"Absolutely, it was the wrong story," he said.
"The story is, that we've done nothing wrong, in fact we've actually shown the way to go forward.
"Exactly what we did is what we should do (in that situation)."
The former Essendon coach also agrees he has fallen out of love with the crisis-stricken club.
But he denies his comment on Saturday that the Bombers are "drowning" was directed at any individuals.
Thompson also hopes James Hird's days are not numbered as Essendon coach, but said there was a groundswell in the media for him to be sacked.
Thompson also praised Essendon player Brendon Goddard after the veteran attacked the repeated leaking of confidential information from the Essendon anti-doping case.
On Saturday, Thompson told Melbourne radio station 3AW that the Bombers were drowning and going backwards.
Hird said Essendon was flabbergasted by the comments and Bombers chairman Paul Little was also critical.
There was speculation that Thompson was still angry at senior Bombers figures after he left the club late last year.
Thompson's former Essendon teammate Tim Watson also said he had lost his love for the Bombers.
"I've fallen out of love with Essendon, but that's not individuals," Thompson said.
"The place is no better than it was.
"It's three years, it's been sitting idle."
Thompson added it was high time that someone such as Goddard had been so strongly critical of the media leaks.
"Brendon Goddard - hey hey, beauty - get into it boys," he said.
"I wish more players had said that.
"That was perfect ... my word, he's right, saying it.
"He's right - he said they're not footballers, they're people.
"Who cares about them? No-one."
Thompson added everyone who has done wrong in the long-running supplements saga should put their hand up and accept responsibility.
He also fears for Hird's future as senior coach.
Essendon's season is in freefall and a review of the football department is underway.
"I don't want them to be (Hird's days to be numbered), but I think ultimately you (media) will get your mark," he said.
"There's a groundswell, isn't there, that happens.
"If Essendon were doing their job properly, they would say 'you know what, we choose who coaches this football club, not anyone else'.
"If we want James to be coach, tell him, sign him up and go with him - it shouldn't be controlled by anyone else."
