Essendon have released a statement in which Little clarifies his comments made to 3AW.
Essendon chairman Paul Little has moved to clarify comments he made to Melbourne radio station 3AW, where he suggested he would ask the federal government to step in and end ASADA’s investigations into the club’s supplements program.
In the interview, Little said he would go to federal sports minister Peter Dutton to bring the saga to a close should the courts rule in the club’s favour.
“I will ask him to try and find a circuit breaker,” Little told 3AW radio on Thursday.
“The whole community has got to deal with this investigation and if the sports minister is able to help us find a way through it I think that would be in the best interests of everyone.”
Essendon released a statement on Thursday afternoon where Little clarified the comments made.
“Our first concern and main priority after the welfare of our players is the legal process,” Little said.
“If we win the Federal court case and the investigation is deemed unlawful, then we believe it will be appropriate for the Federal government to step in and help all parties to find a way through the next stage of the process.”
“As a club, we are not suggesting the Federal government step in and influence the formal proceedings in any way.”
“We would ask for the lines of communication to open up so that we can understand the ASADA process better and work towards a satisfactory and fair outcome.”
“Given ASADA CEO Ben McDevitt has been unwilling to talk to the club, we will be looking for a circuit breaker to facilitate the next steps with the relevant authorities.”
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