Secret Dons tape: Reaction to explosive recording

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan says he is comfortable with the way the league and he personally dealt with the Essendon supplement saga, despite Bombers leaders saying they feel betrayed.

Gillon McLachlan. Picture: Sarah Matray

• Dons crisis meeting tape emerges
• Read the explosive meeting transcript
• Secret tape exposes rage over AFL ‘betrayal’
• Labor MP backs inquiry into Bombers saga

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan says he is “entirely comfortable” with the way the league and he personally dealt with the Essendon supplement saga, despite the release of explosive recordings where the Bombers’ leaders say they feel betrayed.

McLachlan says he hasn’t listened to the recording exclusively released by the Herald Sunin which Essendon chairman Paul Little, coach James Hird, senior assistant coach Mark Thompson and football manager Danny Corcoran discuss their anger at the AFL.

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan says he’s “entirely comfortable” with the way the league and he personally dealt with the Essendon supplement saga. Photo: Darrian Traynor/Getty

But he said the AFL originally believed the players wouldn’t be charged because of a lack of evidence and everyone knew there wasn’t any certainty of that because the investigation was ongoing.

“In terms of being called someone who lies ... we’d been negotiating, I don’t think I deviated one bit,” McLachlan told SEN.

“I feel entirely comfortable.”

McLachlan says the recording reveals nothing new and includes people clearly aggrieved by the situation.

He said if a recording was released from the other side, it would probably be similar.

“It’s just bizarre that someone would record the chairman,” he said.

“It’s interesting because people are yelling and screaming.”

While he hasn’t reached out to Hird, Thompson or Corcoran — McLachlan says he still speaks to Little regularly.

Earlier, Essendon great Tim Watson said he wasn’t surprised by the content or the release of “something” that would bring the Bombers supplement saga back into the limelight.

Watson, the father of former Bombers skipper Jobe Watson, was aware those still angry over the outcome and handling of the saga would produce information but was unaware it was a recording of secret crisis meetings at Essendon.

“I am aware of people who are angry over what happened,” Watson said.

“They still haven’t been able to put behind them what happened and I believed at some stage that they said they were going to produce something that would bring this story back to life and people would have to answer for what took place.

Essendon legend Tim Watson says he isn’t surprised by the content or the release of “something” that would bring the Essendon supplement saga back into the limelight.

Tim Watson says he isn’t surprised by the content or the release of “something” that would bring the Essendon supplement saga back into the limelight.

“None of this comes as a surprise to me because I can recall each of them having this conversation,” he said.

DONS CRISIS MEETING TAPE EMERGES

READ THE EXPLOSIVE MEETING TRANSCRIPT

Watson said he wants everyone to move for the sake of the players and the club.

“I’ve had one text conversation with somebody and I suggested to them within that they let the players have some clean air, they let the club move on,” he said on SEN.

“This has happened, it took place, we all know there are aggrieved parties, there are still people everywhere that aren’t happy with the penalties, with whatever happened but it’s happened and for everybody’s sake we need to move on.

But me saying that isn’t enough to deter people if they really want to keep going with this and they’re not satisfied with the outcome and they’re not satisfied with the fact that they believe the full story has ever been told about the politics that took place behind this.”

SECRET TAPE EXPOSES RAGE OVER AFL ‘BETRAYAL’

LABOR MP BACKS INQUIRY INTO BOMBERS SAGA

When asked what outcome is wanted, Watson said: “I think the outcome would be that potentially, possibly that there would be an inquiry into this and that it would be looked at closely. That the information would be tested in another forum.

“The information about how they got to the point of assigning blame, portioning blame, the way that it was conducted the investigation itself.”

With the Bombers set to play their second preseason game on Sunday against Gold Coast, Watson doesn’t believe the release of the recordings will have an effect on the club.

“They’re not going to worry about this, they’ve all moved on, those players have moved on. Most of them probably won’t even look at this,” he said.

“The Essendon Football Club as it is today has moved on. No one involved in the Essendon Football Club today wants to pick up the paper and read this, it has been four years of hell for a lot of people.

“I don’t think this will cause a ripple at the club itself.”