Port Adelaide star Zak Butters faces a $1500 fine after an AFL tribunal upholds a charge of abusive language toward umpire Nick Foot. The 25-year-old appeared at the hearing wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the word ‘Listen,’ drawing widespread attention just before the decision.
The On-Field Incident
During Port Adelaide’s loss to St Kilda on Sunday night, umpire Nick Foot awarded a free kick to Saints player Mitch Owens. Stand-in captain Butters contested the call and received a 50-meter penalty along with a report for abusive language.
Foot claims Butters asked, ‘How much are they paying you?’ interpreting ‘they’ as referring to St Kilda. The umpire states the remark questioned his integrity and insists, ‘I’m 100 per cent adamant that those are the words Zak Butters said to me.’
Butters firmly denies the allegation, maintaining he said, ‘Surely that’s not a free kick.’ He emphasizes, ‘I stand by knowing what I said and what I didn’t say, especially what I didn’t say,’ and adds, ‘It hurts me because I know I didn’t say it.’ The exchange was not captured on the umpire’s microphone.
Tribunal Proceedings and Verdict
The tribunal set a tight 5:45 p.m. deadline and delivered its guilty verdict minutes before, with full reasoning released the following morning. Port Adelaide teammates Ollie Wines and football boss Ben Rutten provided supporting evidence for Butters.
Butters expresses disappointment: ‘I’m clearly disappointed with the result tonight.’
Fan Backlash and Club Response
Fans across the league voice outrage on social media. One supporter argues, ‘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.’
Another calls it a ‘joke of a tribunal,’ while a third laments, ‘This is the Australia we live in, no evidence needed to get punished.’
Port Adelaide issues a strong statement of support. Chief executive Matthew Richardson declares, ‘The club stands unequivocally with Butters’ and rejects suggestions questioning his integrity. ‘Zak is a man of outstanding character, and we are acutely aware of the toll these proceedings take on him, his family, and those closest to him.’
The club evaluates an appeal once the tribunal provides its detailed reasoning. Butters, a free agent at season’s end, holds options to return to Victoria.
