COLLINGWOOD president Eddie McGuire revealed yesterday that the club had been close to dumping Alan Didak after his episode with alleged city gunman Christopher Hudson and that it was Didak himself who instigated the strict sanctions of his contract.

McGuire said the media's handling of the affair was "hysteria of the highest order," but agreed with criticism of the most recent Didak press conference, saying CEO Gary Pert had interrupted too often and not allowed the player to explain himself.

"I think Gary interjected too much," McGuire told 3AW yesterday. "I think there was one question that Alan was prepared to answer and could have answered and should have answered and that was: did he know this bloke beforehand?

"All he had to say was no and everyone would have left him alone, but Gary jumped on it."

McGuire said Collingwood had been prepared to trade Didak at the end of the season, but changed its mind after a meeting with the 2006 Copeland Trophy winner.

"We basically said, 'Alan, you're out. What are you going to do to stay at Collingwood?'," McGuire said.

"If he had said, 'Look, I want to keep drinking and, you know, my civil liberties are that I can go out and get stuffed' — and he was quite entitled to do so — (we would have) said to him, 'Mate, if you want to do that, that's fine, but you can't play at Collingwood'."

Didak now has strict restrictions on his lifestyle, including a ban on alcohol during the season until the end of 2008 and a 1am curfew.

The changes to the 24-year-old's contract have been sanctioned by the AFL Players' Association.

"You'd expect him to get through this year given all the publicity," McGuire said.

"We're taking a fair bit on … we're all in this together.

McGuire said the club would reassess the situation over the pre-season.

"We're going to sit down and address it at the end of the year."

The president was pleased with the way Didak had handled himself in the wake of the event.

"Alan came out and, I thought, did three things that he needed to do. He was contrite, he came up with a solution and he explained himself as best he could in the circumstances. Then the club gave its point of view.

"The great thing for us from a footy point of view was I've never seen a kid more determined to play for the Collingwood Football Club in my life.

"I had a tear in my eye."