Good morning

Various News Limited publications have this morning devoted considerable space to coverage of the investigation into the Essendon Football Club and its supplements program and the sanctions applied to the club and various individuals.

Both the Herald Sun and Australian newspapers make a great deal about the role of Australian Sports Commission Chairman John Wylie but that fact has been on the public record since September 3, 2013 when the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers outlined his involvement.

Mr Wylie was asked by Essendon FC Chairman Paul Little to facilitate discussions with the AFL at a time when there was an impasse between the parties. We were not privy to the discussions between Mr Little and Mr Wylie and ultimately, the AFL Commission determined various sanctions which were the most severe ever imposed on an AFL club including the unprecedented step of excluding Essendon from the 2013 finals series.

The sanction accepted by James Hird included a suspension for 12 months and the fact he could not be on the payroll of the Essendon Football Club for the duration of the suspension.

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Some of the coverage by News Limited today appears to assert the AFL has paid or is paying James Hird which is completely false.

The various sanctions were applied a matter of days after a special meeting of AFL Club Presidents/Chairmen on August 22, 2013 which, among other things, urged the AFL Commission to resolve the matters relating to Essendon FC within the AFL industry and as soon as possible.

You will also recall the following statement was released by Western Bulldogs President Peter Gordon on behalf of 17 AFL Club Presidents/Chairmen after the August 22 meeting:

"The 18 AFL clubs met today in Melbourne with the AFL Commission.

After discussions with both the AFL and Essendon Chairman Paul Little, the 17 other clubs met in the absence of the AFL and Essendon to consider the Essendon dispute.

We resolved to unanimously express our support for the integrity of the AFL Rules and the need for those rules and the integrity of our competition to be preserved.

In our view, it is of paramount importance that every effort be made to resolve these matters within the AFL industry.

We wish to unanimously express our confidence in the AFL Commission and AFL management.

In the meantime, we call upon all parties to exercise restraint and discretion in any public comments about this matter and with the safety and welfare of players and their families and the integrity of the game as the paramount considerations."

- Peter Gordon, Western Bulldogs

Dogs president Peter Gordon addresses the media after the clubs' meeting in August. Picture: AFL Media

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In our view, the coverage in the News Limited publications does not provide any significant new information.

The sanctions by the AFL Commission are the most significant imposed on an AFL club. They included Essendon FC being excluded from the 2013 finals series, the first time since 1897 that a club has been excluded from participating in the finals. The sanctions are included as Attachment 2 to this memorandum.

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We believe the key points are as follows:

1. The matters for which Essendon FC and others were held to account involved a significant failure in the duty of care to players. They were extremely serious and something we would not want to see in our game ever again.

2. Essendon's own report (Switkowski) described "a disturbing picture of a pharmacologically experimental environment never adequately controlled or challenged or documented within the club".

3. It is already well-known that negotiations were held to resolve the matter as quickly and as appropriately as possible – this is hardly a revelation. Consistent with the strong view put by the 17 AFL Club Presidents, the issue was resolved within the AFL industry.

4. Football fans and the 17 other clubs wanted the issue dealt with as soon as possible and the AFL wanted to safeguard the integrity of the 2013 Finals Series in the best interests of our game. We make no apologies for that.

5. Without detailing the cut and thrust of those discussions, they were held in good faith at a number of levels and were always appropriate.

6. Ultimately, the sanctions imposed on the Essendon FC and the individuals concerned were the harshest in the history of Australian football and reflected the seriousness of the matters dealt with.

7. It is the role of the AFL Commission and administration to oversee the health and safety of all players, the integrity of the AFL competition and the rules governing the game.

8. The AFL Commission's fundamental objective was to resolve the issues relating to the Essendon FC and various individuals so that the finals could proceed without the risk of compromise at some point in the future as has been the case in other sports.

9. The sanctions and the acceptance of those sanctions by Essendon and various individuals was a genuine outcome arrived at under the rules of the AFL competition which in turn allowed supporters of the game to enjoy a finals series without the risk of compromise.

If you have any queries concerning this matter, please do not hesitate to call.

Kind regards

Andrew Demetriou

AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou and AFL Commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick. Picture: AFL Media