Essendon have dropped defender Courtenay Dempsey from their AFL team indefinitely, saying he is failing to meet their professional standards.

Dempsey hurt his hamstring last weekend in a VFL practice match as he was returning from a pre-season calf problem.

But the Bombers have accused the pacey backman of not meeting the senior team’s standards and expectations.

They said Dempsey will return to the VFL squad once he recovers from the hamstring injury.

Coach Mark Thompson said in a statement that Dempsey is an important player and they will support him.

“We felt that Courtenay needed to understand that we can’t accept individuals stepping outside of team protocols and requirements,” Thompson said.

“We sat down with Courtenay and discussed the reasons why his training standards had dropped, and as a result we agreed the best way forward for him was to go back and train with the VFL side.”