AFL chief executive Gill McLachlan admits the league’s medical officer put some flourish on his controversial comments about the Essendon supplements scandal.

But McLachlan has strongly backed Dr Peter Harcourt over the issue.

Video has emerged of Dr Harcourt speaking last November at an anti-doping conference in Zurich.

He made strong comments about what happened at the club during the 2012 supplements program and spoke of concerns that players could eventually suffer from cancer because of what they took.

Essendon and the AFL Players Association are furious with Dr Harcourt over the comments.

“The presentation was signed off … he put, I guess, some flourish on that, that maybe in the context of today might … have caused a couple of days of headlines,” McLachlan said.

“But everything he said there was generally on the public record and that presentation, in its substantive form, was signed off.”

There is speculation that Dr Harcourt might have broken a non-disparagement clause that was agreed on when the AFL hit Essendon with heavy penalties last August.

The Bombers remain under ASADA investigation and have taken the anti-doping body to court.

Asked whether Dr Harcourt’s speech breached the non-disparagement clause, McLachlan said: “My personal view is no, my legal advice is absolutely, definitively no.”

Tuesday was the first time McLachlan has spoken publicly since last week, when the video was first brought to the media’s attention.

“Peter Harcourt knows where I stand on this – he has my unequivocal support,” McLachlan said.

“He doesn’t need me coming out publicly to say it.

“I’ve spoken to him a number of times.”

McLachlan added he would not be drawn into a running commentary about Essendon’s legal battle with ASADA.

He said even Essendon supporters were becoming sick of the saga.

“Every single day, there is something I could respond to or the AFL could respond to and I am not going to do that because we have a football competition to run,” he said.

“The supporters of all 18 clubs – not just the 17 other clubs – want us to think about playing football.

“They’re sick of it and they’re sick of all the distractions, the side elements and everything else.”

McLachlan said he would comment at length when the time is right.

He also admitted Dr Harcourt and the AFL wished the video had not been made public.

“He has no doubt been wounded personally by the last couple of days,” McLachlan said

“But he’s had support, I think, from everyone he counts as important in the industry.

“He regrets it was public – we prefer it didn’t happen – but if you focus on what he was doing, it was all about the health and welfare and safety of the players.”