AFL Tribunal member and former Essendon player Jason Johnson knew he made a "mistake" when he disconnected from his desktop and re-joined the Zak Butters hearing from the car on his phone.
Johnson, a real estate agent in Melbourne's north-west, has been a long-time Tribunal member, and insists that his interruption was unavoidable as he had to drive to an appointment.
"The hearing finished before my appointment," he told the Herald Sun.
"I knew as soon as it happened (being in the car) I knew it was a mistake but it was something I couldn't avoid.
"It wasn't compromised, I didn't miss anything of the hearing, I just changed platforms.
"It didn't impact me being able to deliberate with my fellow tribunal members."
Butters was found guilty of umpire abuse, and fined $1500, which has caused a stir across the AFL landscape.
Port Adelaide will appeal the decision despite no conclusive evidence being made available to the Tribunal.
During the hearing, participants and viewers noticed AFL Albert Dinelli KC asked if Johnson was still listening given his feed tapped out.
