Brisbane Lions captain Jonathan Brown will learn on Tuesday if he is to be fined or given a stern talking to by the AFL regarding his comments over Lance Franklin's bump.

The league had yet to decide what action to take against Brown, who on Sunday said Franklin's bump on Adelaide's Michael Doughty was too soft to warrant a suspension.

The Hawthorn star was reported on Saturday night for engaging in rough conduct, but can escape with a reprimand and play this weekend if he makes an early guilty plea.

Brown stood up for his fellow forward when he said Franklin's contact on Doughty was akin to that of a fly hitting a human.

"There's got to be some force over the contact," Brown told the Nine Network.

"Fair dinkum, it was like a fly hitting his head.

"(It) was only glancing and, if anything, he missed him.

"No doubt the review panel will assess the contact, how heavy it was, but ... you would have thought it's at the minorist (sic) of contact or the lowest scale."

The AFL has taken a dim view in the past of players discussing reports, because comments can potentially be prejudicial to the tribunal.

AFL football operations general manager Adrian Anderson recently wrote to clubs warning that players faced fines of up to $5,000 if they commented on cases that could go before the tribunal.

An AFL spokesman on Monday said Brown could be fined or rebuked.

Essendon captain Matthew Lloyd recently received a rebuke from Anderson over comments he made about the bump Western Bulldog Robert Murphy put on Hawk Xavier Ellis in round 10.

Lloyd said players would be reluctant to apply bumps if Murphy was suspended for what he did.

He was subsequently suspended for one game.

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