Jeff Kennett says if he was made aware of an Essendon-style supplements scandal during his time as Hawthorn AFL president he would have axed the coach and the chief executive on the spot.

The former Victorian Premier said on Tuesday he was prepared to give Jobe Watson the benefit of the doubt following the Essendon captain’s shock admission he’d taken a banned drug.

Watson says he has taken AOD-9604, but the AFL’s reigning Brownlow Medallist claims he’s done nothing wrong.

Essendon are facing investigations from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) and AFL for last year’s supplement program.

The AFL hopes ASADA will announce its findings in early August.

Watson on Monday told Fox Sports program On The Couch the players were advised by club medical staff at the time that the substance was legal.

Ex-Hawks president Kennett says Watson’s 2012 Brownlow Medal should be stripped from him if he’s found to have taken a banned drug.

“I don’t understand how you can have individuals sign consent forms … to take substances which if they were totally legal, why would you need a consent form?,” Kennett said.

Kennett urged the AFL to come down hard on any proven cheating and accused the league of acting to protect the interests of some individuals.

“There is a duty of care and that has not been addressed properly by the AFL or Essendon yet, although Ian Robson (former Essendon chief executive) has gone,” Kennett said.

Kennett said he had doubts over whether it could be proved the Bombers had taken performance-enhancing products.

“If they do then there’s going to be a very heavy penalty paid,” Kennett said.

“You can argue the penalty is two years. You might say if he didn’t know it comes back to six months.

“Whatever Jobe’s been told, and I give him the benefit of the doubt absolutely, I don’t think they’ve got any idea what they were having administered to them.

“That’s where the senior people at the club have so breached this trust, this duty of care with players.

“People have often asked me ‘what would you have done at Hawthorn?’

“I probably would have sacked the CEO, sacked the coach and sacked the head of the football department.

“And then if I’d had any courage, I would have sacked myself.”