Essendon have suspended defender Michael Hibberd for the rest of the AFL season over his recent assault charge.

The first-year player was suspended indefinitely earlier this month for breaching team protocol following an alleged late-night altercation on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.

Police later charged Hibberd with assault.

Essendon said the club's leadership group had decided to suspend the 21-year-old until the end of the season, including any finals the Bombers played.

"It has been made very clear to Michael that this sort of behaviour does not meet the standards expected by the Essendon Football Club," Bombers football manager Paul Hamilton said in a statement on Wednesday.

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