Port Adelaide will appeal the AFL tribunal’s decision to find captain Zak Butters guilty of umpire abuse, the club confirmed in a statement on Wednesday night.
The Power superstar was found guilty of using abusive and insulting language towards umpire Nick Foot and slapped with a $1500 fine.
Butters had been accused of asking Foot “how much are they paying you?” after he awarded a free kick during Port Adelaide’s loss to St Kilda on Sunday.
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Port Adelaide superstar Zak Butters. Twitter
“The club believes strongly in Butters’ account of events and will formally contest the verdict,” the Port Adelaide statement said.
Butters was defiant after Tuesday’s tribunal hearing.
“I stand by knowing what I said and what I didn’t say, especially what I didn’t say,” said Butters, who’s Port Adelaide’s captain while Connor Rozee is injured.
“I’d like to thank the club for the support. Thank you.”
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The AFL said Foot’s microphone did not pick up any comments from Butters or teammate Ollie Wines, who was nearby, which left Port Adelaide having to rely on the testimonies of the two players and footy boss Ben Rutten, with whom Butters spoke after the incident.
Umpire Nick Foot pictured during Port Adelaide’s match against St Kilda on Sunday. AFL Photos via Getty Images
The tribunal panel said it was “satisfied on the balance of probabilities” that Butters said “how much are they paying you?” as opposed to “surely that’s not a free kick?”, which was Butters’ claim.
Foot said he was “100 per cent adamant” that he heard Butters say “how much are they paying you?”, implying St Kilda were paying the whistleblower and in doing so tarnishing his integrity.
Butters claimed in the hearing that he had said “surely that’s not a free kick?”. In a post-match interview with Seven, he had said: “How is that a free kick?”
Essendon legend James Hird had urged Butters to contest the tribunal’s decision.
“If I was Zak Butters, I’d be taking this all the way,” Hird said on Nine’s Footy Classified on Tuesday night.
“If you definitely know you didn’t say it, you can’t have that on your character. It’s a slur on your character.
“If he didn’t say it, it should be fought all the way to the end.”
AFLPA chief executive James Gallagher said via a Wednesday morning statement that the body was “very disappointed” in the outcome.
“A misunderstanding about what was said on field should have been resolved in the aftermath of the match, not referred to the tribunal,” Gallagher said.
“The tribunal determining not to accept all of the evidence consistent with Zak’s version of events, including testimony of Zak’s teammate Ollie Wines, nor have sufficient doubt when upholding a charge is deeply concerning.
“In the off-season, we made it clear to the AFL that we would closely monitor the tribunal’s decisions during 2026 given concerns raised by players in recent seasons. It is important that all participants in the game, but most importantly the players, have confidence in the disciplinary system to which they’re subjected.
“We’ve offered our full support to Zak and Port Adelaide in exploring their options to appeal.”
On Footy Classified, Hawthorn and Geelong premiership winner Isaac Smith added that a fine wasn’t the appropriate punishment for questioning the integrity of an umpire, suggesting it should be a suspension of three or four weeks.
Butters and his teammates walk off after the loss to St Kilda. AFL Photos via Getty Images
Smith also believes Butters and Foot should have spoken about the incident behind closed doors after the match.
Butters said he tried to approach the umpire but was ignored. Foot said that was the advice given to umpires after reporting an offence.
Port Adelaide released a statement after the hearing, saying the club was “deeply disappointed” with the verdict.
“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,” chief executive Matthew Richardson said.
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