MELBOURNE underworld figure Mick Gatto says he was approached by someone at Essendon asking him to find out "what was going on" with the supplements saga.
Video of Gatto being interviewed by The Footy Show's Sam Newman in Melbourne on Thursday afternoon has surfaced online before the clip is due to air on the show.
Gatto says he was "embroiled in it" by an Essendon figure.
When pressed by Newman to name the person, Gatto replied "it wouldn't be very professional for me to divulge that".
"They just wanted to find out what was going on with it all and have a feel around," he told Newman in the clip leaked online by entertainment website 15 Minutes of Fame.
Essendon chairman Lindsay Tanner had earlier dismissed the allegations the club approached Gatto, saying they were the acts of bitter former staff.
"Two disgruntled ex-employees have made a number of false and unsubstantiated allegations against the club," Mr Tanner said in a statement provided to AAP on Thursday morning.
"For example, allegations of having dealings with Mick Gatto are false.
"Inappropriate demands and threats made upon Essendon Football Club have been reported to the AFL Integrity Department and on its advice, Victoria Police have been contacted."
The Essendon drug scandal in 2011 and 2012 led to the club being kicked out of the 2013 finals series and 34 players being suspended for the 2016 season for using banned substances.
Gatto had earlier declined to comment on the allegations, telling journalists at a press conference they would "hear all about it" on a television show on Thursday night.
He said he was not being paid for the television interview, but was doing it because they had shown him respect in the past.
"I've organised this meeting today to get you away from my home, (so you'd) leave my family alone."
