Essendon coach James Hird has given his strong backing to skipper Jobe Watson, despite the player publicly admitting he took a banned substance.

Hird says he is not disappointed in Watson’s admission, and also believes the midfielder’s Brownlow Medal for the AFL’s fairest and best player last season is not tainted nor in doubt because of it.

Watson surprisingly broke ranks from the Bombers’ straight-batting of the ongoing ASADA investigation into the club’s supplement program on Monday night with his admission he believed he took the banned anti-obesity drug AOD-9604.

He is the first Essendon player to publicly admit he took AOD-9604, which the World Anti-Doping Authority confirmed in April had been a banned substance since the start of 2011.

Hird says he was surprised with Watson’s public comments on the situation, but not disappointed in him – giving a strong defence of the skipper’s character.

And he also warned the issues surrounding the investigation were complex, and looked forward to the probe being completed so all at the club could talk freely.

“This investigation’s been going for five months. It’s very complicated, very sensitive,” Hird said on Wednesday.

“We look forward to the day we can talk, and it’s not today.”