Andrew Demetriou says he has no ill feeling towards James Hird despite the Essendon coach having given evidence to an anti-doping inquiry that has forced the AFL chief executive to publicly defend his integrity.

Hird’s evidence to ASADA concerned a phone call Demetriou made to Essendon chairman David Evans in February.

Earlier on the same day, Demetriou had received a confidential briefing from the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) on drugs and crime in sport and the following day the Bombers called on ASADA and the AFL to investigate them over their supplement use.

Demetriou on Friday repeated his claim, which has been backed by the ACC, that he didn’t break the commission’s confidentiality agreement by tipping off the Bombers.

Had he done so, it would have been a crime.

Demetriou said Hird, who was at a meeting with Evans and other Essendon officials when Evans received Demetriou’s call, was entitled to have his own interpretation, but he was determined to defend his integrity.

“I will defend my reputation and clear the air and make sure that the truth is told,” Demetriou told ABC radio on Friday.

“In my world it’s very easy to sell the truth, I learnt that a long time ago.

“So I’ve got no issue, I’ve got no issue with David Evans, he’s a person of the highest integrity.

“I think James Hird is a person of the highest integrity, that may be his version.”

Demetriou said only he and Evans could know with certainty what was said between them.

“If there is a different version, that’s okay too,” he said.

“People can interpret things the way they interpret them.”

In another radio interview on Friday, Demetriou praised Hird and said there was no personal battle.

“It’s certainly not a personal thing from my behalf and I wouldn’t have thought from James,” Demetriou told 3AW.

But when a talkback caller probed him on exactly what he did disclose to Evans, Demetriou suggested in a lighthearted manner the talkback caller might be acting on behalf of Ian Hanke, Hird’s media advisor.

The caller asked Demetriou whether he had made it clear to Evans that there was a club under investigation.

“He was asking me `Is the Essendon Football Club going to be, is this the club, are we a club that’s going to be under investigation from ASADA? I’m hearing things all day.'” Demetriou said.

“I said `I don’t know, I don’t know if you’re the club.'”

Asked if that meant he had told Evans there was a club being investigated, Demetriou said: “No, I was responding to his question.”