Twenty-four hours earlier it was threatening to withhold Essendon's funding.
Now James Hird has the Christmas bonus the AFL said he wouldn't.
MORE: Essendon chairman: AFL dispute settled, James Hird to get paid | WADA boss expects Essendon to face 'several charges' from ASADA
Andrew Demetriou has the reddest of faces. And he faces whispers in the AFL world's hallways about his handling of the supplements saga as it proves way too big for the chief executive to consign to the office paper shredder.
Embarrassing backdowns come no bigger than this. The league's pre-Christmas trash take-out didn't go unnoticed despite its cynical timing. News Corp's strong pursuit of the AFL boss now has blood in the water.
There is at least one win for the AFL as it reaches for bandages and Berocca. Agreeing a deal with Essendon and Hird over his pay during his suspension allows the league to stay out of open court – something it appears far keener to avoid in this case than public humiliation.
Layers of tribunals and appeals were introduced to prevent any more Andrew Dunkley or Greg Williams cases.
The AFL doesn't want its inner workings exposed. That in itself is not a bad thing. Sport and court are a messy, unsightly mix.
But it will be interesting to see what the more enterprising clubs make of what is clearly the boundary to which the AFL can be pushed.
The weasel words of statement say that Hird will not be paid in 2014, and the AFL have accepted Essendon has the right to make payments to Hird in the 2013 year as it sees fit.
Cue the Bombers shovelling an estimated $1 million to Hird a few days before the New Year.
It means that strictly speaking, Hird will not be paid during his season of suspension.
It means also should you ever need to get what you want, go straight to Hird's legal team and entourage. They're absolute rifles.
And critically, it means Demetriou is now at his most exposed after famously claiming he would 'go to his grave' on the fact Essendon were not paying Hird.
Under Demetriou, the AFL has always got what it wants. It has been efficient, forthright, and when it needs to, ruthless. It has been heavily outflanked here by Hird and his people – its authority clearly undermined.
Demetriou and the AFL's next challenge may be dealing with fallout from Essendon players receiving infraction notices from ASADA. The scrutiny of the AFL's handling of its next crisis – whatever that may be – will be enormous.
The next few months promise, especially for Demetriou, to be a hotter seat than the office photocopier.