In an intriguing twist of timing, the son of former club chairman David Evans has tendered his resignation at Essendon and will leave the club just as James Hird returns from suspension.
Will Evans has been a recruiting trainee for two years as part of a SportsReady AFL program, but has decided to go travelling at the end of the season.
It is understood his decision to leave the club was his alone, and his father did not exert any influence.
The Bombers say Evans had planned to travel for some time and have told him he is welcome to return to the talent identification role once he finishes his overseas sojourn.
Hird's suspension ends on August 25 but he will not be involved in the day-to-day running of the team for the final round of the season or any subsequent finals appearances, with that responsibility remaining with interim coach Mark Thompson.
Hird's immediate focus will be plotting the club's 2015 campaign. This includes recruitment, list management and planning.
David Evans stood down a year ago after suffering a physical breakdown as the pressure on Essendon and himself mounted during the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority's investigation into the club's 2011-12 supplements program.
His once-strong relationship with Hird had crumbled by that stage, with Hird of the belief his one-time mentor was not operating in his best interest. David Evans had made it clear his primary focus was on having the players avoid suspension.
Evans, the son of former Essendon and AFL chairman Ron Evans, has not spoken publicly since he left the club, but has been seen at Essendon matches.
His actions in the days leading to, and on, February 5, 2013 - when the Bombers self-reported fears of doping violations to ASADA and the AFL - are seen as an important part of the Federal Court case brought against the anti-doping body by Hird and the club.
David Evans had a telephone conversation with then-AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou on the night of February 4. Demetriou has strenuously denied he tipped off the Bombers as a result of information he had from a briefing with the Australian Crime Commission.
Evans could be called to give evidence in the court case, beginning on August 11, where his understanding of what constituted a joint investigation - the Bombers and Hird allege the investigation was unlawful as ASADA worked outside its jurisdiction - could be questioned.
Paul Little, Evans' successor as Essendon chairman, has since said it might have been a mistake to self-report.
"We've got the view that self-reporting might not have worked all that well for us," he said in April. "We gave away all of our leverage. We gave away our rights to control the situation."
Lawyers for Hird, Essendon and ASADA are completing the discovery phase, with 11 Essendon board members and officials to have access to ASADA's confidential documents.
As the Bombers focus on Friday night's crucial clash against Sydney at the SCG, Thompson has confirmed the club felt it best Hird not be immediately involved with the team when he returns for fear his presence could be a distraction.
Thompson said Hird, having missed most of the season while completing a business course in France, would also be best served by watching all of the Bombers' matches from this year.
"We haven't put him on the outer, we haven't isolated him, he's going to be doing a lot of work," he said on Fox Footy's AFL 360.
"The day he comes back, he's going to be watching tapes, talking with list management, talking to sponsors, looking at a lot of kids' tapes. He's going to be busy, we're going to busy him up."
Whether Hird ultimately returns as coach could be influenced by the result of the court case. If Hird and the Bombers lose, the 34 players issued with show-cause notices will almost certainly have to prove they were not administered illegal substances.
This is the first step towards infraction notices being issued. If that was to occur, and players face at least six-month bans, the Bombers may feel it best that Hird does not return.
