AN EMOTIONAL Michael Hurley has broken down in tears after recalling the moment the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) delivered a guilty verdict in January.

The 34 past and present Essendon players lodged an appeal after being handed 12-month bans for their involvement in the controversial 2012 supplements regime.

The appeal in the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland is yet to be heard.

Hurley, who was contracted for 2017, signed a five-year contract extension with the Bombers last month, tying him to the club until the end of 2022.

The 26-year-old became the eighth banned Bomber to recommit and knocked back significant interest from rival clubs, particularly from the Western Bulldogs and Collingwood. 

How Hurley's new Bombers deal was done

Hurley said the CAS finding brought mixed emotions and prompted him to weigh up his options.

"I'd always bled red and black and there was a form of anger towards the club at times and I thought that if I hadn't seen what else was out there, that I may've been going back to the football club blindly," Hurley told Channel Nine on Monday night.

"I chopped and changed with lots of things, that's why I was so tentative early on to make a decision because I was going through a whole range of emotions. 

"There were times where I was really, really unsure of what to do but that's why I had that plan and that process, and it allowed me to have all the information and make the decision, not only with my heart but (with) my head as well and it helped a lot.

Of the 12 Bombers handed season-long suspensions, captain Jobe Watson and Tayte Pears are the remaining pair who are yet to confirm their intentions for 2017.

Essendon has so far managed to keep nine of its banned players, with defender Michael Hibberd the only Bomber to request a trade. 

Hurley said he went into a state of shock upon hearing the ruling.

"Yeah, I think I did, especially straight after the verdict was handed down. I couldn't believe it," Hurley said, before struggling to contain his emotions when asked who he spoke to shortly after.

"No one really. I just sort of sat there and cried a bit. 

"I didn't really want to call Mum and Dad."