Essendon favourite Jobe Watson has announced he will hand back his 2012 Brownlow Medal.

Key points: Jobe Watson won AFL's Best and Fairest award in 2012

Jobe Watson won AFL's Best and Fairest award in 2012 Thirty-four past and present Essendon players tainted by supplements saga

Thirty-four past and present Essendon players tainted by supplements saga Watson says giving his award back in keeping with spirit of Brownlow Medal

Last month a Swiss court opted not to hear a group of 34 past and present Essendon players' appeal against their doping bans following the AFL club's supplements saga.

Watson, who won the AFL's top individual accolade in 2012, says it has been distressing having his integrity questioned, and has opted to give the medal back to the organising body.

"It is with mixed emotions that I have decided to hand back my 2012 Brownlow Medal," Watson said in a statement.

"It is now up to the AFL Commission at their meeting on Tuesday to make a decision as to what they want to do with it."

"It has been incredibly distressing for me to have people question my integrity and infer an intention to act against the spirit of the game, a spirit that is intrinsically a part of who I am."

Watson said that with a cloud over his team-mates, giving the award back was the only thing to do in the spirit of the Brownlow Medal.

"The basic principle behind this prestigious award is to honour the fairest and best," the Bombers captain said.

"If there is a question in peoples' minds as to whether the 2012 award is tainted, the fairest and best thing to do is to give it back and honour the history that has gone before me.

"I want to make it clear that today's decision does not in anyway reflect a change in my personal opinion regarding the merits of the CAS finding, but rather reflects my desire to put to a close further speculation about what should be done with the 2012 Brownlow Medal."

AFL acknowledges Watson's 'difficult decision'

In a statement, the AFL's chief executive officer Gillon McLachlan acknowledged the "extremely difficult decision" Watson had to make.

"In Jobe's own words, he is honouring the history of the medal and putting the interests of the game first, and this is an honourable position for him to have taken," McLachlan said.

McLachlan said the AFL Commission would hold its regular scheduled meeting in Melbourne next Tuesday and will consider Watson's statement before formally ruling on the future of the 2012 award.

New West Coast midfielder Sam Mitchell has refused to comment about the possibility of becoming the official 2012 Brownlow Medallist.

The midfielder finished second to Watson in the 2012 vote while playing for Hawthorn.

News of Watson's decision broke as Mitchell gave a press conference about his arrival at West Coast ahead of the 2017 season

When asked about it, he said he had not heard about the decision and therefore did not want to comment on it.

Jobe Watson said giving the Brownlow back to the AFL was in keeping with the spirit of the award. ( AAP: Mark Dadswell )

Essendon chairman Lindsay Tanner said the AFL club took responsibility for placing its captain in this position.

"Jobe has remained unassailably dignified under the most extraordinary pressure over the past four years," Tanner said in a statement.

"The club takes responsibility for placing Jobe in this position and unreservedly apologises to him and his family.

"Jobe is a person of the highest integrity and character and has the total support and admiration of our membership, staff, executive and board.

"The Essendon family has been, and will continue to be, incredibly proud of Jobe Watson."

In September, Watson confirmed his return to the game and said he would not fret over the Brownlow Medal either way.

"It doesn't define me. The thing about why I felt I needed to leave [Australia] was that I wasn't happy.

"Life is too short not to be happy. Your time in the game isn't infinite ... so I really feel whatever happens is out of my control.

"I'll deal with it accordingly."

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