ST KILDA coach Ross Lyon says damage from a "firestorm" around the AFL Tribunal weighs heavily as his club considers an appeal to Lance Collard's suspension.

Collard has been banned for a second time for making a homophobic comment while, separately, Port Adelaide and Zak Butters will appeal a Tribunal verdict that the star midfielder abused an umpire.

In both cases, the Tribunal delivered guilty findings and rejected evidence from the players who denied making the offensive remarks.

"It has been lit up, hasn't it; like it's a firestorm and the AFL is in the middle of it and the processes are in the middle of it," Lyon told reporters in Adelaide on Thursday.

"And I'm not across all the minute detail.

"But I think all of us from clubland are concerned about our individual players and the stress that they're put through and potential damage to that individual - whether it's Butters or Collard or the people being caught up on the other side of the fence.

"It's very challenging and there's no doubt there's going to be losers and people that are damaged ... that sits really heavily."

Asked if the Saints would appeal Collard's seven-week ban for directing a homophobic slur at an opponent in a VFL game, Lyon replied: "They (Saints officials) are working through, again, the detail in the process, what's possible, what's not.

"But clearly, we'll take it as far as we can. What that looks like, I don't know."

Collard was also banned for six matches in 2024 when he admitted to using the same homophobic slur in a game.

"I am in daily contact pretty much with Lance, he's a really good young man," Lyon said.

"There's a lot to play out there."

St Kilda have until Saturday to lodge an appeal against the Collard sanction, which was announced on Tuesday - the same day as Butters' controversial tribunal hearing.

The Power's triple club champion was fined $1500 after being found guilty of using abusive and insulting language towards field umpire Nick Foot during Port's clash against St Kilda last Sunday night.

Port believes Butters has been branded a liar by the tribunal, which found it was "implausible that Mr Foot would invent the offending comment".

Foot told the Tribunal: "The comment that Butters made to me was 'how much are they paying you? It questioned my integrity."

Butters vehemently denied making that comment.

Brisbane coach Chris Fagan echoed his Essendon counterpart Brad Scott in querying how the tribunal came to its decision.

"Given all the noise and clutter that goes on out there (on-field), it's more than possible for a misunderstanding to have occurred," Fagan told reporters in Brisbane on Thursday.

"Both think they're right. I don't know how you decide when there's no conclusive evidence.

"How do you make a decision one way or the other? That didn't seem to make any sense to me."

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge, speaking broadly about the tribunal, urged the use of "common sense".

"We have got to protect the umpires but the players also need support as well. We're talking about two cohorts that need to be looked after," he told reporters in Melbourne.

"I don't know how that can happen in this situation. It sounds like both parties are under duress and it's not ideal."