A WOMAN identifying herself as the mother of an Essendon player has slammed Bombers coach James Hird for losing sight of the real victims in the club's supplements saga – the players.

The woman told Triple M Melbourne her son had been subjected to so much stress during the six-month AFL-ASADA investigation he was contemplating walking away from football.

"James Hird is a man who I've always respected, but to watch his press conference yesterday it was all about him, it was all about me, me, me, how to protect me," the woman said.

"Well who's going to protect my kids? And who's going to protect all of the other players? Let's not forget that harm was done to the players, not to James Hird.

"And let's not forget any health repercussions the players will have to deal with and not James Hird, not Mr (Paul) Little.

"And it frustrates me and angers me that as a parent we're basically being muzzled and we've been told not to speak to people and the stress at home and the stress with my son is intolerable.

"He is actually contemplating walking away from the sport."

The woman said the supplements saga had been her "worst nightmare as a parent" as revelations emerged of just how experimental the Bombers' 2012 supplements program had been.

"My son … who I entrusted to be taken care of has basically been used as a guinea pig," she said.

"It's all right for James and the board of Essendon to say they have not cheated.

"The whole question is not about cheating, the whole question is about morals, it's about ethics and it's about the trust parents put on the club to take care of their kids.

"My child ... for him to be used and to be injected with substances that may not be illegal but could be banned, with substances that are labelled not for human consumption and not for human use, and for the club to completely disregard those warnings and to inject my son I find appalling."

AFL.com.au has spoken to Triple M. The station says the woman did not want to be identified, but is confident the call was genuine.

It is understood host Eddie McGuire and two producers spoke to the woman off-air before broadcasting her call.

Twitter: @AFL_Nick