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Chairman ... David Evans faced the music at Windy Hill on Thursday night. Source: DAVID CROSLING / AAP
DAVID Evans is staying as Essendon chairman and insists there was nothing out of the ordinary about Thursday night's board meeting at the AFL club.
There had been media speculation about Evans' future following another major development in the Bombers' supplements crisis.
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It has emerged AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou made a phone call to Evans the night before the Bombers went public in February about the supplements issue.
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Demetriou has acknowledged speaking to Bombers president David Evans on February 4, but says he did not tip off Essendon as he did not know which club was under investigation.
"I want to make this really clear - tonight was a regular and scheduled monthly board meeting,'' Evans said outside Essendon's Windy Hill headquarters.
"In relation to media reports late this afternoon, I am not standing down as chairman.
"The board did not ask me to explain my version of events.
"This was a routine board meeting.
"If you don't mind, I'm going to go off to dinner and it's not a farewell dinner.''
Essendon are under Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) and AFL investigation, with the league hopeful that ASADA will report their findings next month.
Earlier today, the Herald Sun revealed that Danny Corcoran, in his role as chief executive of the Melbourne Rebels, interviewed sports scientist Stephen Dank for the position as high-performance manager at the rugby club in 2010.
Corcoran was told to interview Dank, which lasted half an hour.
Corcoran did not recommend Dank for the job.
Dank was employed at Essendon at the end of 2011.
Corcoran was absent from the club through November, December and January of 2011-12 after his wife died.
In that time, Dank was employed on the recommendation of Dean Robinson.
Earlier Thursday, Hird said "the truth will come out" over a phone call from Andrew Demetriou to Evans.
Hird said he was at Evans' house on the night of Monday, February 4, when Evans took a call from Demetriou. He said the contents of the call were discussed by those present - Hird, Evans, former CEO Ian Robson, club doctor Bruce Reid and football boss Danny Corcoran.
The AFL has always maintained that Essendon "self-reported" and asked to be investigated by ASADA and the AFL on February 5 based on its own information.
Demetriou has admitted speaking to Evans the night before the club self-reported for the potential use of performance-enhancing drugs, but denies he "tipped him off" about an Australian Crime Commission investigation.
"We've all given our version of what happened, or the truth, to ASADA," Hird said.
"I know I've told truth to ASADA and I know other people have as well, so the truth will come out over time.
When asked whether Demetriou had done anything wrong, Hird replied: "I'm not sure".
"I wouldn't have thought he has but I'm not the ACC, I'm not ASADA, I'm a football coach trying to coach a game tomorrow night," he said.
Anti-doping investigators have been told of a phone call made by Demetriou to Evans on Monday, February 4.
Differing accounts of the call have been detailed to the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority.
Demetriou has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
According to one witness testimony given to ASADA, Demetriou discussed with Evans whether his club's players had used banned performance-enhancing drugs.
AFL spokesman James Tonkin last night said: "We understand this claim was made by a particular witness in an interview with ASADA.
''The allegations, which were disputed and discredited by other witnesses, were examined by ASADA. They are completely untrue."
Speaking on 3AW radio on Thursday morning, Demetriou also firmly denied the claim.
"(I was asked) whether I tipped off David Evans before they came forward ... and I stated yesterday categorically, as I did on previous occasions, that I did not," Demetriou said.
"And I did not for one simple reason: I didn't know who the club in question was. The AFL wasn't aware of who the club was in question because the ACC, who briefed us a few days earlier on the Thursday, wouldn't disclose to us who the clubs involved were."
"There absolutely was a discussion that I had with David because I'd spoken to him throughout the day and I did ring him that night because I was returning his phone call. But it wasn't tipping off David Evans that Essendon was the club because we didn't know who the club was."
Demetriou said Evans had been receiving calls from media with speculation about the use of supplements, calls the AFL had also received, before making his own inquiries at his club and becoming "quite disturbed", leading to the meeting being called.
"As David found out more and more things, he rang me to tell if I knew any more, I kept saying I don't know any more David, I don't know who the club is," Demetriou said. "He rang me and I returned his phone call at nine o'clock that night."
When asked if he had mentioned the ACC briefing of 31 January, Demetriou said no, as he was "subject to confidentiality".
Demetriou denied that he knew at the time Essendon was likely to be subject to investigation after the ACC briefing.
"(The ACC) made it clear that there were several clubs that could have been implicated in both illicit and the use of performance enhancing and they wouldn't disclose who the clubs were," Demetriou said.
"We sought to get clarification because at that time all of our clubs were impugned ... They couldn't tell us and they wouldn't tell us."
Demetriou said he had never been asked about the phone call by ASADA after the witness testimony was denied by three others.
ASADA has been told the Demetriou call was made during an emergency meeting at Evans' Hawthorn home attended by Hird, club doctor Bruce Reid, football boss Danny Corcoran and former chief executive Ian Robson.
ASADA was told Evans ordered the 8.30pm meeting after receiving earlier information.
A second source, also interviewed by ASADA, yesterday backed the first witness's claim.
It is understood Evans was recalled by ASADA and backed the AFL's version of events.
Evans yesterday said: "I went to the AFL and ASADA when serious questions were raised about our supplements program and when the club could not adequately provide me with adequate answers.
"The serious questions coming from the media and information from previous players brought issues to light that strongly warranted my actions."
The AFL has always maintained Essendon "self-reported" and asked to be investigated by ASADA and the AFL on February 5 based on its own information.
The Australian Crime Commission went public with its report into organised crime and drugs in sport two days later on February 7.
Demetriou was first briefed by the ACC about its report on Thursday, January 31, at a confidential meeting in Canberra. AFL sources said Demetriou was not told at this briefing that Essendon was the subject of concerns.
On the morning of February 5 - the day after the meeting at Evans' home - Evans, Hird, Robson and two club media staffers met AFL deputy chief executive Gillon McLachlan and league integrity boss Brett Clothier at AFL House.
Demetriou was absent because he was attending another briefing with the ACC, ASADA and other sports chiefs at Melbourne Airport.
At a 2pm press conference called by Essendon at AFL House, Evans said he had received "information" during the previous 48 hours which prompted the club's decision to come forward.
The Herald Sun has previously investigated the circumstances leading to Essendon's self-reporting.
On April 16, the Herald Sun asked Evans at his Jolimont offices whether he was tipped off about the club's issues with drugs.
"No, that did not happen," Evans said.
He said he had "snooped" around his club all weekend before deciding to go to the AFL.
Late on April 17, Demetriou, after being told about inquiries from the Herald Sun, contacted the newspaper and emphatically denied the AFL played a role in the lead-up to Essendon self-reporting.
- with James Dowling, Patrick Horan
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