Butters found guilty of umpire abuse in sensational ruling; Collard handed a bombshell nine-week ban

The tribunal’s delayed reasoning for the Butters fine has only added to the player’s and Port Adelaide’s frustration, according to Caroline Wilson.

“Port Adelaide’s frustration is on many levels, not least because the chair of the tribunal Renee Enbom and at least one tribunal member, Jason Johnson, had to leave straight after the verdict was delivered,” the veteran Age footy reporter told Channel Seven’s The Agenda Setters on Tuesday night.

“So Port can’t talk to us tonight ... they can’t even decide if they’re going to appeal because they still don’t know exactly why they [the tribunal] say Zak Butters was found guilty.

“They feel aggrieved on behalf of their Brownlow medallist, also, Ollie Wines, who was clearly disbelieved by the tribunal.

Former umpire Ray Chamberlain says player comments that attack an umpire’s integrity “cut to the bone”.

The retired umpire, who presided over AFL games for 20 years before retiring in 2024, said on Fox Footy on Tuesday evening that questioning an umpire’s integrity, as Nick Foot alleged Port star Zak Butters did, was fundamentally damaging.

“It cuts to the very premise of what it is that you’re undertaking,” said Chamberlain, who umpired in 377 AFL games and two grand finals. “The role of the umpire is to ensure that the game is played in a fair and safe manner, and that’s your responsibility, without fear or favour. And so when that gets called into question, you’re cutting at the very essence of who that person is in terms of their role.”

Foot explained to the tribunal on Tuesday his allegation that he had heard Butters say “how much are they paying you?” before he paid a 50-metre penalty and reported him for abusive language.

The prospect of Port Adelaide appealing the Butters fine is gathering momentum, even before the tribunal’s reasoning has been delivered.

As the Power weigh up their options, they have postponed coach Josh Carr’s media conference, which was scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Essendon great James Hird told Footy Classified, if he were Butters, he would fight the fine.

“If I was Zak Butters, I’d be taking this all the way,” Hird said.

Gallagher also addressed the Lance Collard decision, in a separate statement released on Wednesday morning, with the AFLPA boss disappointed that the tribunal did not accept Collard’s testimony that he had not used a homophobic slur.

“Lance has maintained his innocence, and this has been consistent throughout. We’re disappointed the tribunal did not accept that evidence. We’ll continue to fully support him and the club through this process including exploring any options to appeal,” Gallagher said.

The players’ union chief said that a “holistic” solution was needed alongside a “a disciplinary process that is fit for purpose, [and] minimises and remedies the harms caused and shifts behaviour”.

“The industry remains aligned in wanting to rid the game of homophobia, but this process again highlights the need for a more effective and united approach,” Gallagher said.

St Kilda’s Lance Collard has been handed a nine-week suspension for directing a homophobic slur at a Frankston opponent during a VFL match in March, despite St Kilda warning a lengthy ban would “ruin his life”.

The nine-week ban – two of those weeks suspended over the 2026 and 2027 seasons – was handed down by the AFL Disciplinary Tribunal after 90 minutes of deliberations.

Tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson said the verdict should ensure other VFL and other AFL players understand that homophobic slurs are unacceptable.

But the Saints issued a statement later on Tuesday saying they’re considering an appeal.