MANAGERS for the suspended past and present Essendon players were briefed in a hastily arranged meeting with the AFL Players' Association on Wednesday afternoon following the Court of Arbitration for Sport's decision to ban the 34 from competition until November.

AFLPA CEO Paul Marsh pledged on Tuesday to support the banned players, saying they needed both financial and emotional support.

He also said the prospect of the banned players seeking compensation from Essendon was very high.

At Wednesday’s meeting, the managers were given an initial picture of the ramifications of the CAS decision, as well as an outline of what the players would not be able to do while banned from participating in sport.

The AFLPA is keen to provide players with a set of options as soon as possible in relation to how they might productively spend their time suspended, although they have not met with the affected players collectively since delivering the news to them regarding the decision on Tuesday. 

AFL.com.au also understands the nature of the compensation that might be sought was discussed, with player representatives not only concerned about the financial ramifications of the ban for 2016 but also the potential loss of endorsements now and in the future and the fact some players will be at risk of not receiving another contract.

The suspended players include some of the game's biggest stars such as Jobe Watson, Michael Hurley, Dyson Heppell and Cale Hooker.

Marsh said on Tuesday he hoped the compensation discussions could stay out of the courts and said the discussions with the current regime at Essendon had been positive.

Watson, who faces the prospect of losing the Brownlow Medal he won in 2012 as a result of the CAS finding, thanked the players' association for their support in a statement on behalf of his teammates on Wednesday.

In the statement, he indicated their devastation at the suspension handed down and the fact the players' legal team was examining the decision and all avenues available to the players.