if essendon players found guilty by asada

Lets say that the Essendon players are found guilty of taking banned substances. Can all 30+ players be banned? This would basically send one of the longer serving clubs of the AFL into extinction.
I am assuming that players, like commonwealth and Olympic athletes, are solely responsible for what they put in their own bodies.
I do not support Essendon but also do not want to see them kicked out of the competition forever.
Should there be a more softer approach because it is a team of individuals rather then just an individual such as Lance Armstrong or Stuart O'Grady???