Essendon chairman Paul Little has made the following statement in relation to comments made on Melbourne radio about the Federal government.

“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.”