Michael Hurley in tears as he recalls moment Court of Arbitration for Sport handed down guilty verdict

WATCH: BANNED Essendon defender Michael Hurley was reduced to tears when recounting the day he was suspended from playing this season.

BANNED Essendon defender Michael Hurley was reduced to tears when recounting the day he was suspended from playing this season.

The 26-year-old was one of 12 current Essendon players - including captain Jobe Watson - to be issued with a doping ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on January 12.

He broke down when asked to recall that day, and said he went in to shock and spoke to no-one.

“Yeah, I think I did (go into shock), especially straight after the verdict was handed down,” he said.

“I couldn’t believe it.

“(I spoke to) no-one really. I sort of sat there and cried a bit.”

Clearly emotional, a tearful Hurley was asked whether he had called his parents after the verdict was handed down.

“I didn’t really want to call mum and dad,” he told Channel 9, before stepping away from the interview.

Michael Hurley will return to Essendon but says it wasn’t an easy decision. Picture: Daniel Wilkins

He wouldn’t go as far as saying it was the worst day of his life, but described it as “a pretty bad day”.

“I think everyone has had some pretty tough times in their life,” Hurley said.

“That probably wasn’t the worst day of my life to be fair but it was a pretty bad day.”

He recently re-signed with the club for another five years, but admitted it had not been an easy decision to come to.

COMMITTED: HURLEY RE-SIGNS WITH ESSENDON

In the interview, set to air in full tomorrow night, he admitted he was angry at Essendon.

“I always, I guess, had bled red and black. I guess there was a form of anger towards the club at times and I thought if I hadn’t saw what else was out there, that I may have been going back to the club blindly,” the All-Australian said.

Michael Hurley wipes away tears as he speaks about the immediate aftermatch of the CAS verdict. Piucture: Channel 9

“I chopped and changed with lots of things. That’s why I was so tentative early on to make a decision. I was going through a whole range of emotions.

“There were times when I was really, really unsure of what to do but I think that’s why I had that plan, that process, it allowed me to have all the information to allow me to make a decision, not only with my heart, but my head as well.”

Hurley and his banned teammates are permitted back at Essendon later this month in a training capacity, with their suspensions set to expire in November.

Originally published as Michael Hurley in tears as he recalls moment Court of Arbitration for Sport handed down guilty verdict