The AFL Has Apologised To Sydney And Buddy Franklin After Last Night’s Tribunal Hearing

Apology issued

Image: Getty

Te AFL has apologised to Sydney and Buddy Franklin after the Legal Counsel Assisting the Tribunal last night used the term "cowardly" to describe Franklin’s strike on Trent Cotchin.

Tom Browne explained the issue on Tom Browne’s News today.

LISTEN HERE:

The AFL issued the following statement:

"Lance Franklin is a champion of our game.

"In the making of submissions, Legal Counsel Assisting the Tribunal used his own words to describe the circumstances of the strike on Trent Cotchin, namely that Mr Cotchin was reasonably not expecting to be struck by Mr Franklin.

"Trent Cotchin is a Premiership Captain and one of the most respected leaders in the competition.

"It is the AFL’s view that rhetorical flourishes of the nature used by both Counsel last night should not be part of the AFL tribunal process and they do not reflect the views of the AFL.

"The AFL has today contacted Lance Franklin and the Sydney Swans to apologise for the comment and reiterated our respect for Lance and his standing in the game.”

Never miss anything with the best of Triple M Footy playlist:

Tom Browne also discussed the confrontation between Jason Horne-Francis and Jack Ziebell, the results from a survey of the coaching fraternity and more.