ASADA head Ben McDevitt is keen to talk through a potential deal with Essendon players, flagging reduced AFL penalties for cooperation.

Show cause notices were given to 34 current and former Essendon players on Thursday arising from the club’s 2012 supplements regime.

It is the first formal step in a process that could end in bans of up to two years from all sport.

But in interviews with the ABC and Fairfax Radio, McDevitt flagged two clauses which could mean reduced time out of the game.

“If a player is found to have no significant fault, which means for example if a player didn’t know what was being administered to them … (it) would mean a reduction of up to 50 per cent of the original penalty,” he said.

“Beyond that, if they have shown that have provided substantial assistance to ASADA, they’ve come forward, they’ve made full admissions, said this is the circumstances, then there is the possibility of a further 75 per cent reduction on the original penalty.”

“You could end up going from two years to 12 months to six months.”

Each case is treated as an individual matter, but Essendon have foreshadowed legal action and have been given an exemption under the salary cap to pay for it.

Legal action seems certain and Essendon chairman Paul Little flagged it on Thursday, before news broke about the show cause notices.

But McDevitt is hopeful the lure of reduced bans could prompt cooperation.

“What I’m encouraging individuals now, and the club, and the AFL, is to have a think about this very carefully and have discussions with us,” McDevitt said.

“I would like to talk this through.

“The important thing now is to work it through and see where this might end up.”

McDevitt said he had not spoken to the Bombers since he became ASADA chief executive a month ago.

“I haven’t … I was in a potential conflict of interest situation. I was assessing the (Essendon investigation) material and it would have been highly inappropriate of me,” he said.

Following the issuing of notices, the next step in the process is to have cases tested by the independent Anti-Doping Rule Violation Panel (ADRVP).

If the ADRVP decides someone has potentially committed an anti-doping rule violation, this will lead to an infraction notice.

It will then fall to the AFL Tribunal to hear cases and issue bans.

ASADA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) can also appeal against the tribunal findings.

There are fears the process could take years to resolve.

McDevitt said his decision to issue notices was based on a considerable body of evidence collected in the investigation.

“Following the conclusion of joint interviews with the AFL in mid-2013, ASADA continued to accumulate evidence to establish a possible violation,” he said in a statement issued early on Friday morning.

He also told ABC radio: “I am satisfied that a potential violation or possible violation of our anti-doping code has occurred.

Earlier on Friday, AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said the show cause notices were only allegations and the first stage of the process.

“It’s essentially a proposition, an allegation to which they have to respond,” he said.

“It’s just the start of a long process, it’s not an indication of guilt.”

Little is expected to respond on Friday afternoon to the show cause notices.