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Full Noise by SN
Important update on 1476AMDiffuse the situation: Watson’s take on Butters-Foot incident
SEN • April 14th, 2026 12:53 pm
Footy legend Tim Watson has had his say on the Zak Butters-Nick Foot incident.
Port Adelaide star Butters is “unambiguously adamant” he said nothing untoward during his side's loss to St Kilda at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday night.
It is alleged that Butters said to Foot, “How much are they paying you?”, after the umpire awarded the Saints a questionable free kick.
Watson firmly believes that umpire Foot could have easily diffused the situation by using humour to deflect.
“A lot of people are saying I’m old-fashioned in my views about how you diffuse this,” Watson said on SEN Breakfast.
“Back in the day if an umpire had that said to them they would have said, ‘Well, I’ll tell you how much I’m getting paid, I’ve got a magnificent yacht moored down at Brighton’.
“They would have diffused the situation with some humour and that would’ve been the end of it. We wouldn’t have been in a position that we are in right now.
“What has changed about mankind then if that at one point in time it would have been handled like that, and it can’t be handled like that today.”
Co-host Garry Lyon did not fully agree with Watson’s take, saying if Foot felt his integrity was being questioned then that is his right.
“Because the world we live in has changed,” said Lyon.
“It’s a different world we live in these days and whether we agree or disagree, you can’t tell people how to think.
“That’s patently obvious in the world we live in today.”
Watson and Lyon then debated the situation with the former suggesting there is some oversensitivity taking place while the latter says he has every right to feel offended if indeed his integrity was questioned by Butters - which is yet to be determined.
Watson: “I know what you’re saying about how someone receives a message but I can’t for the life of me believe that this is anything but oversensitivity.
“Even if that was said I would think that’s oversensitive for anybody that’s in a position of umpire to hear that and then believe they want to go and send a player to the Tribunal for having said that in the heat of the moment.”
Lyon: “But this is what we have learnt over time, it’s not what you think, and it’s not what I think about the umpire (potentially) being precious, it’s what he (Foot) thinks.
“And if the thinks - and I’m not saying this happened by the way - but if he turns around and says (his integrity was being questioned).
“You can shake your head but if he turns around and says (it happened).”
Watson: “I am shaking my head, because if you’re offended it doesn’t mean you’re right.
“It’s along those same lines. No one else heard it out of those two people.
“If I defame you right now on radio, it would be that I’m defaming you in front of thousands of people.
“But on the football field it’s just a conversation between two people.
“I don’t have to agree with what Nick Foot feels.”
Lyon: “It’s not for you to agree, you’re not an umpire.”
Watson: “I’m allowed to have an opinion on it.”
Lyon: “I’ve learnt over time that it doesn’t matter what I think. If I say something to you and you get offended by it, and I go, ‘Hang on, don’t be so precious’... (that's not right).
“If an umpire thinks his whole reason for being an umpire is being called into question, someone is saying, ‘Am I being paid to give free kicks to another team’, then that’s the way he feels.
“You and I think it might be a throwaway line that’s bounced around all the time, but it’s probably not relevant.”
Watson: “I completely understand what you’re saying but I don’t believe we should be at this point over a comment, which is disputed now anyway.”
