AFL CHIEF Gillon McLachlan is not amused by the unearthing of a 'secret' Essendon tape from 2013, saying it's "just interesting because people are yelling and screaming".
McLachlan has also re-stated that the AFL is "entirely comfortable" with its handling of Essendon's doping scandal.
The issue has been thrown into the spotlight after News Corp published a secretly taped 2013 meeting between former chairman Paul Little, coach James Hird, assistant Mark Thompson and football boss Danny Corcoran at the height of the saga.
Contained within the tapes are several allegations posed towards the AFL and McLachlan about not following through on their promises to have players cleared of lengthy suspensions.
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Speaking on SEN, McLachlan said the tape was old news and he moved to clear up any doubt about the AFL's involvement.
"Our view at the time, was that the players wouldn't be charged. That was our prevailing view, however, there was no certainty about that," McLachlan said.
"It wasn't a decision by us, it was ASADA. In the agreements with the club and the individuals, it was explicit that it didn't mean the players wouldn't be charged.
"This has been through the Federal Court. There were millions of documents discovered. Then it was appealed to Full Court of the Federal Court and both times (AFL and ASADA's conduct) was unanimously found to be legal."
McLachlan said he understood why the aggrieved parties would still feel disillusioned by the outcome of the investigation, but questioned the relevance of the timing of the release of the tape.
"I'm disappointed. Essendon had their season launch last night. They're 5000 members up year on year. They've got an exciting list, they've got players back and they want to move forward. There's not anything new in this, as I understand it. There's no new facts," he said.
McLachlan said the interest in the tapes was centred around the explicit language used during the alleged August 8, 2013 meeting.
Hird was suspended for 12 months for his involvement in the doomed supplements program, while Thompson and Corcoran were also punished.
"The reality is, you could have recorded that at the AFL. It's just interesting because people are yelling and screaming," he said.
"It was an incredibly tumultuous period. The AFL's action and decisiveness ended up being justified.
"I believe substantively that we're entirely comfortable with the process and that's been examined in various forms, including the Federal Court, and that has been vindicated."
