Brisbane Lions captain Jonathan Brown has avoided a fine for criticising the rough conduct report against Hawthorn spearhead Lance Franklin.

Brown had described the impact of Franklin's head-high contact with Adelaide's Michael Doughty last weekend as "like a fly hitting his head".

Franklin took an early guilty plea and received a reprimand, freeing him to play in Saturday's clash with North Melbourne.

Club officials and players are forbidden from commenting publicly on cases before the match review panel.

"We accept that Jonathan Brown's comments were not intended to influence or affect the outcome of the Franklin case and no sanction will apply in this case," said AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson.

"All clubs should ensure their players and coaches are familiar with the rules and exercise caution in commenting on specific cases before they have been determined."

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