‘Makes Us Seem like a Circus’: Juror’s ‘Cringe-Worthy’ Behaviour in Zak Butters Tribunal Hearing Condemned

Melbourne icon Garry Lyon has expressed his outrage over a juror in the Zak Butters tribunal hearing who left to drive somewhere during proceedings, labelling the situation “embarrassing” and condemning it as making the AFL appear like a “circus”.

During a virtual tribunal hearing on Tuesday afternoon, Port Adelaide’s Butters was found guilty of allegedly asking umpire Nick Foot during Sunday’s match against St Kilda: “How much are they [the Saints] paying you?”

The Power announced in a statement on Wednesday evening their intention to appeal the guilty verdict.

It was revealed during the tribunal hearing that one of the jurors, Jason Johnson, had chosen to drive to an appointment and thus was not present.

Speaking on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 later that night, Lyon let loose.

“Sometimes we’ve got to save us from ourselves,” Lyon remarked.

“If it were my reputation on the line, and it’s a contentious situation that requires careful consideration, I wouldn’t want the person judging me … to be in a car, on the move.”

“I want them to be seated, diligently taking notes, cross-referencing, and completely focused, without being sidetracked by distractions from the outside world, like being in a car. The possibility of losing service or being delayed by traffic should not be an issue during such critical deliberations.

“At the very least, it’s embarrassing.

“How would that play out on the global stage?

“This is a multibillion-dollar enterprise, a major organisation where we expect nothing short of excellence in every facet of our operations. Then, the world watches and sees how we conduct our legal processes, only to find out one juror is driving around.

“What does that say? What kind of message does that send?”

Johnson was one of two jurors, the other being Darren Gaspar.

The tribunal proceedings were overseen by Renee Enbom.

“I’m not trying to point fingers at Jason Johnson; there were changes made and such. But we absolutely must do better,” Lyon added.

“I understand there are other factors at play, yet we cannot have a juror about to make a crucial judgment in such a high-profile case distracted by other commitments, especially when every detail matters, and you need to carefully consider the timings involved. And where is the juror? Oh, he had another appointment, so he’s in transit.

“Let’s be serious – that makes us look like a circus.”

Wide World of Sports reached out to the AFL for their response.