- Decision has left fans across the league furious
AFL footy fans have collectively taken aim at a tribunal’s decision to find Zak Butters guilty of umpire abuse after the Port Adelaide star sent a very pointed message on his T-shirt just before his hearing.
Numerous supporters have been vocal on X as they backed Butters to the hilt, with the 25-year-old fronting up in a very telling T-shirt with the word ‘Listen’ printed on it.
‘Found guilty of what? telling the truth or having no evidence to back up either the umpire or player. nothing should have been done if there is no evidence,’ one said.
‘Joke of a tribunal, and any other Crows fan, or whichever team you support, would agree,’ another added.
‘This is the Australia we live in, no evidence needed to get punished, go against any narrative in life here and you will get taken down,’ one more wrote.
Port Adelaide will now make a call on whether to appeal that decision when the AFL tribunal releases the reasoning behind the verdict.
Zak Butters (pictured) showed up to his tribunal wearing a T-shirt with ‘Listen’ written on it in a pointed message to the AFL
The Port Adelaide star (pictured) has been found guilty of umpire abuse in a decision that has left footy fans outraged
Butters (pictured) was investigated over an on-field incident with umpire Nick Foot, who alleged he’d been called a cheat
Stand-in captain Butters was on Tuesday evening fined $1500 after the tribunal upheld a charge of abusive and insulting language towards an umpire.
Umpire Nick Foot alleged Butters said: ‘How much are they paying you?’ after he awarded a free kick to St Kilda in Port’s loss to the Saints on Sunday night.
Butters, 25, vehemently denied that, insisting he said ‘surely that’s not a free kick’.
The tribunal strangely set itself a 5.45pm deadline and announced its verdict minutes before that mark, with written reasoning to be distributed on Wednesday morning.
Port released a statement on Tuesday night saying the club ‘stands unequivocally’ with Butters, who is a free agent at season’s end and has a decision to make on whether to return to Victoria.
‘The club is deeply disappointed in the Tribunal’s verdict and rejects any suggestion that questions Zak’s integrity,’ Port Adelaide chief executive Matthew Richardson said.
‘Zak is a man of outstanding character and we are acutely aware of the toll these proceedings take, not only for him but for his family and those closest to him.’
Butters said: ‘I’m clearly disappointed with the result tonight.
‘I stand by knowing what I said and what I didn’t say, especially what I didn’t say.’
The AFL Players Association is yet to comment on the tribunal case.
On Sunday, a free kick was given to St Kilda’s Mitch Owens and Port’s Ollie Wines took issue, as did Butters, who was penalised 50m and reported for abusive language by Foot.
The AFL said the exchange was not picked up by the umpire’s microphone.
‘The comment that Butters made to me was ‘how much are they paying you?’ Foot said.
Foot interpreted ‘they’ as being ‘the St Kilda Football Club or someone involved with St Kilda’.
‘It questioned my integrity,’ he said.
‘I’m 100 per cent adamant that those are the words Zak Butters said to me.’
Butters was ‘100 per cent sure’ he did not say ‘how much are they paying you’ to Foot.
‘I recall saying ‘surely that’s not a free kick’,’ Butters said.
He later added: ‘It hurts me because I know I didn’t say it.’
Wines and Port football boss Ben Rutten gave evidence in support of Butters.
