With coach James Hird banned for 12 months, chairman Paul Little said the Bombers' champion had accepted his penalty so the club could move on.
Little expressed remorse on behalf of the club for letting down the supporters.
"This will be an incredibly tough time for our supporters and members. I share their pain. We are terribly sorry. But I firmly believe that what we've done today will put the matter to bed," Little said.
Hird requested not to be present at the announcement on Tuesday night, and Little asked the media to respect his privacy.
He said the coach had shown significant remorse for his role in the scandal and would tell his side of the story publicly once he felt up to it.
"We're keen for it to happen. He's been through an emotional time. When he feels like it. I'm sure he'll welcome the opportunity to talk," Little said.
Little said the club accepted the AFL's judgement but reminded reporters that no Essendon player had been served with a doping infraction, and nor did the club believe any players would be charged in the future.
"With what we know, we are comfortable. With what we don't know, our belief is that there weren't any substances taken that were illegal or illicit," Little said.
"No player has been found guilty of taking a performance-enhancing drug. There have been no infraction notices, and we don't think there will be."
Little described the sanctions handed down on Tuesday night as fair and apologised to the club's players and supporters for letting them down. However he said the sanctions would have a significant impact on the club's bottom line.
He said the "rebuilding of the club is now on in earnest".
Assistant coach Simon Goodwin will coach the club in Saturday's clash against Richmond, but Hird would be welcomed back to the club when his ban has been served.
Little said the club had let down a lot of people and the club was genuinely sorry.
However, the Bombers needed to look to the future and move on.
The chairman described the financial cost to Essendon as significant, and said the crisis couldn't have come at a worse time as the club develops a new training base.
He said the club's legal costs would exceed $1 million.
On the club's supporters, Little acknowledged it would be an "incredibly tough time" for them, and he said the club was "terribly sorry". He said he felt their pain.
"We must rebuild and we will rebuild," he said.
