Essendon's Brendan Goddard has backed down on claims Channel Seven stitched him up when they televised his foul-mouthed outburst at the weekend.
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Umpire microphones picked up Goddard's swearing, when he called North Melbourne's Jack Ziebell "weak c***" during their clash on Friday night.
The midfielder took to radio and Twitter after the incident, apologising for his language, but also accusing the broadcaster of letting his words go to air on purpose.
Speaking on ABC radio the Saturday after the Bombers' loss, Goddard said he understood that miking up players and umpires gave fans valuable access to the game, but said Channel Seven let his words go to air "for a reason".
"They clearly left it in there for a reason ... they have a delay, they can choose what they want to show and they've essentially set me up ... stitched me up in a way," he said.
But when he appeared on Fox Footy's AFL 360 program on Tuesday, Goddard said he had since learned the audio was not televised on a delay.
He said it was difficult for players to watch what they said during play.
"In the heat of the game it's hard to think twice," he said.
Hawthorn's Jordan Lewis, who appeared on the show with Goddard, said he was against the umpires having microphones.
