AFLPA CEO James Gallagher | Full Interview (15.04.26)
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There is a difference between knowingly lying and being mistaken. I don't think Zach Butters knowingly lied, but there is a chance he got it wrong, just as there is a chance that Nick Foote got it wrong. At the centre of all this are two players who believe they've been hard done by. The CEO of the Players Association is James Gallagher, and he's with me this morning in the studio. James, good to see you. Good to see you, Tom. Timing is everything. A strongly worded statement this morning. Did the tribunal get it wrong with Zach Butters?
I think, yeah. Yeah. I mean, we're, we're really disappointed with the outcome. Um, there's no doubt about that. Um, I think it would seem pretty clear that there's been a misunderstanding here. Um, I know I certainly have misheard many things in my life, but I think, um, it w it was pretty clear when watching the footy on Sunday night, you know, there was, um, Zach and Ollie were obviously mystified at why a 50 meter penalty had been paid. Um, Zach obviously didn't interview immediately post-game. He didn't know at that point in time what the allegations were and he was pretty clear about, you know, what he'd said. And then Zach and Ollie obviously gave that evidence again last night. And I hear the point that there was some slight discrepancies, but...
These guys are playing a highly competitive game of football. And when it's, when it's come out of Zach's mouth, he's not thinking anything of it because he knows he hasn't done anything wrong. So I think for a tribunal to find, to be, to be confident enough to find that all All of those things don't point to the fact that the words weren't said. Yeah, really disappointed.
What was the outcome of the Zach Butters tribunal decision?
Have you spoken to Zach?
Yeah, I have.
What did he say?
Look, we just had a good chat and I think, you know, consistent with he made a very short statement, but he's really disappointed. And I think, unfortunately, you know, the weight of evidence, which was in his favour, doesn't seem to have carried the day here. And, you know, that's concerning.
Is he worried that he's been branded a liar?
I think anytime a person gives evidence and it's not accepted, that sort of cuts quite deeply. You know, I know Zach well enough. I know Ollie well. You know, these are guys that are, you know, really highly revered, true to their word. I don't think anyone's ever doubted that and for the first time that's happened and I don't think that's a good thing for all of us.
What about the role between umpires and players? Do you think it's been unhealthy this last 48 to 72 hours?
I don't think it's helped, but I actually don't think this is necessarily about players being umpires. I don't know Nick Foote. I have no reason to doubt that, you know, what he said he thought he heard is what he thought he heard. He was focusing on umpiring the game. Zach and Ollie were focusing on playing it. It's entirely understandable that that might be misheard. I think there's no doubt in my mind that that's what happened. And... those two things can be the case. And the tribunal should have been able to say, you know what, we actually believe both of you. But that doesn't get us to a point of understanding and being confident enough to uphold a charge. I think ideally... what we should say is good dialogue between players and umpires.
I think that ultimately helps the relationship. They're operating every week. They're out on the field. There's a lot going on. There's a lot of noise. There's a lot of decisions. There's a lot of emotion and energy. And I think if that can be humanized and there can be dialogue between players and umpires, that's a really good thing. And certainly our view is, you know, put the tribunal decision to one side, shouldn't have got there. It should have been dealt with in the aftermath of the game, whether that's straight after or in the next day. It just should have been navigated. The interested parties should have come together.
So given that Nick Foote is not allowed to speak to Zach Butters after he reports him, how can it be navigated in the 24 hours after the game?
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