Club CEO Ian Robson today said that he was extremely disappointed by some media reports that attempt to link Essendon and its players to the recent Melbourne Storm player payment controversy.
While he confirmed that a small number of Essendon players were among a group of athletes contacted by a company investigating insolvent charity, Unity Foundation, Mr Robson said there was no suggestion that the football club had done anything wrong.
""We are confident that any past relationship between this charity and a few players was at arm's length of the club and was bona fide,"" Mr Robson said.
""We are happy to assist the liquidator looking into Unity Foundation's financial records but we are not happy at the attempts by some media to link us to illegal player payments.""
Mr Robson said AFL players were allowed to do paid work for charities or businesses independent of the club.
""It is important for Essendon members and supporters to understand that from a salary cap perspective, the Unity Foundation situation - in which Essendon players were engaged in charity work independent of the club - is no different to Channel 9 paying Essendon players to appear on The Footy Show,"" Mr Robson said.
The charity - which is independent of the Essendon Football Club - was founded by former St Kilda players Xavier Clarke and Alan Murray.
