James Hird is available to play against Carlton tomorrow night. That is the news all Essendon supporters were glad to hear today from the AFL Commission hearing involving the Essendon skipper. However, Hird’s wallet will be considerably lighter when he was fined $20,000 for the comments he made about umpire Scott McLaren.

Hird appeared before the full AFL Commission this morning with CEO Peter Jackson. AFL Commission Chairman Ron Evans issued the following statement about Hird’s penalty.

""The Commission heard a lengthy submission from James Hird, and after considering the matter and a recommendation from Adrian Anderson, the AFL’s General Manager, Football Operations, determined:

1. To accept the unreserved apology tendered by James Hird this morning before the Commission
2. The Commission declined to cancel or suspend James Hird's registration, conditional upon:
a. James Hird entering into a binding agreement within 28 days, consistent with matters discussed before the Commission in relation to assisting the AFL's umpiring programs for at least three years, including a forum and the AFL's umpires' mentor program.
b. James Hird volunteering a payment of $20,000 to the AFL within seven days.
c. Substantial support from the Essendon Football Club for those umpiring programs.

""In a separate decision, the General Manager, Football Operations has sanctioned the Essendon Football Club $5000 in relation to the comments about umpiring made by James Hird.""