OUSTED Essendon coach James Hird wants 2016 to be a year of facts.
In a rare media appearance following his departure from the Bombers, Hird joined a panel discussion on the year's highs and lows in sport on Sunday morning.
His appearance comes as a final Court of Arbitration for Sport decision looms on WADA's appeal against the Essendon 34's not guilty findings.
"I think it's about the facts. Instead of PR and manipulation, it's about the facts in everything," Hird told ABC NewsRadio of his hopes for the new year.
"If we just try and brush it under the carpet and look on the field again, then we'll always be hiding something, so put everything on the table and confront it and let's move on."
Hird said the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal's initial decision to clear the 34 past and present Bombers players charged with taking banned substance thymosin beta-4 was a pleasing point of the year.
"That was probably the most positive thing to come out of this whole saga for us – that initially our players were cleared," he said.
The three-member CAS panel has given no indication of when it will hand down its findings, but there has been speculation it could be before Christmas.
Hird departed Essendon in August, having coached the team to just five wins from 19 matches.
Newly elected Essendon president Lindsay Tanner said last week he would like to welcome Hird back to the club at any time.
As part of the wide-ranging discussion Hird raised concerns about the direction of sports administration around the world.
"With that centralisation has come power and greed and when the wrong sort of people have power, they turn the sport a certain way," he said.
"I think a lot of what's happened with FIFA and around global sport, and even here in Australia, is that the centralisation of the commercial positioning, in particular, has meant that more power has gone to these governing bodies."
"There are very good sporting bodies across the world, but certainly there are examples here in this country where the centralisation of everything has meant that it's very hard for anyone to speak out against the governing body."
Hird also addressed the so-called 'booing controversy' surrounding Sydney Swans veteran Adam Goodes.
"I think Adam had every right, and I think everyone had every right, to be very disappointed in the reaction of the crowd," Hird said.
"But I thought the commentary was probably the most disappointing, at first from people in power, because it's unacceptable (behaviour) and it should have been talked about as unacceptable from day one."
Hird has a background in sports business, playing a senior role in the development of sports marketing firm Gemba.
He spent part of his 12-month suspension from the AFL over the supplement saga studying an MBA at an elite business school in France.
