AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has denied that he has officially received an offer from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority that proposed a six-month sanction for Essendon players on the condition they accept they took performance-enhancing substances in 2011-12.
Fairfax Media on Friday reported that ASADA was willing to accept Essendon players were 'doped and duped' and therefore qualify for a WADA "no significant fault" discount but the offer would be withdrawn if the Bombers waited for Federal Court's Justice John Middleton decision in the club's case against the joint AFL/ASADA investigation.
McLachlan told 3AW that he rang ASADA chief executive Ben McDevitt on Friday morning "to make sure that I haven't some how missed something or got that wrong and he said categorically, no.
"He put out on radio, on day two after the show cause notices (were issued) that there were provisions in the Act for subtantial assistance for no-fault ... to get six months," McLachlan said.
"I think he indicated or intimated - I don't want to put words in his mouth - that was he thought that was a possible scenario here, so I think that six-month thing has been around and broadly well known but I haven't had a deal put on my desk."
When asked if there was a specific deal for the Bombers, he said: "I don't know specifically and I don't want to comment beyond that but I think it's sort of been broadly accepted by the way Ben went out in the media saying that is available".
However, McLachlan said given that Cronulla players in the NRL have been offered backdated deals, the ban could be even less for the Bombers.
"If it's true that the offer to the Cronulla players that the date gets backdated so it may be that they serve a minimum of three months," McLachlan said.
