Jackson re-iterated that while this had been a negotiation with one player, the club had to contract players responsibly on behalf of the entire list.
“You have to pay players relative to those around them and the offer we put to Dean was in line with that philosophy,” Jackson said. “Our list has to dictate what we pay, not what other clubs are able to pay.”
“While I am very disappointed that Dean has reached this decision, I firmly believe that the club has acted fairly and reasonably on behalf of his teammates and the members and supporters.”
Jackson said he fully understood that members and supporters would be disappointed and that the players and staff at Essendon shared that feeling.
“We respect his right to make this decision but that doesn’t mean we can’t be disappointed about it,” Jackson said.
“This club has given Dean Solomon a Premiership and finals’ football every season since he made his debut in 1998. We have developed his football and he has made some very good friends at this club.
“But there are still some things that need to happen before this situation becomes final. It is not signed and sealed and I’m sure some of his teammates will want to speak to him before he puts pen to paper.”
Essendon’s final offer to Solomon met his demands in terms of guaranteed money. He was also offered performance incentives that would have carried over into subsequent seasons of the three-year deal that was put to him.
“We simply could not match the reported offer put to him by a rival club – that being $400,000 a year over four years. It would have been irresponsible had we done so and put impossible pressures on our Total Player Payment position – I wasn’t prepared to risk that,” Jackson said.
