Tanner rubbishes drugs report, shoots down Senate inquiry call

Essendon chairman Lindsay Tanner has rubbished a report that cast doubt on the guilt of the 34 Bombers players banned for taking a prohibited substance because the drug only appeared on the ASADA watch-list the day before the club self-reported.

Tanner also told the Bombers' annual general meeting and members' forum on Thursday night that the board would not support a Senate inquiry into the supplements saga, as is the wish of some members and supporters.

Lindsay Tanner says the club will not be backing a Senate inquiry into the supplements saga.Credit: Eddie Jim

An October report from News Corp said documents revealed that Thymosin Beta-4 only appeared on the ASADA banned substances list the day before Essendon reported their supplements program to authorities in February 2013.

Some 34 Bombers players were banned for 12 months in 2016 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for taking the substance during 2012.

"Be a bit careful of what you read on the front of the Herald Sun," Tanner said.

"This story was strictly speaking true, but what they didn't say was that [while] this particular compound was not listed on the list on the ASADA website [until] the day before, it actually doesn't matter, because that is not the whole list.

"That is just like a guide for people … it says 'these are definitely not permitted but do not assume that this list is comprehensive'.

"That was an entirely misleading story because it did not matter whether or not the substance was specificically named on the list on that website. That is not the determining factor about whether or not it's banned."

On a Senate inquiry into the saga Tanner said: "There is no prospect of changing the outcomes of all those processes and the impact they had on both the players and the Essendon Football Club.

"Any such inquiry will cause significant distress for the people who are most affected … and the club therefore does not support that concept. We do not believe it would lead to anything positive for the club or the players"

Tanner said he had recently personally apologised to a player who was banned after he requested it and that he, CEO Xavier Campbell and the club constantly spoke to and assisted current and former players who were banned and had sought support.