Baker was charged on four different counts and contested two of them at Tuesday night’s tribunal hearing.
Lyon conceded Baker had made errors of judgment but jumped to the defence of his hard-nut backman.
“There was a disappointment there and it’s really hurt Steven and the club,” Lyon said.
“It’s not how we play our footy and it’s not what we’re about. I’ve been here three years, going into my fourth. That’s not typical of Steven. It’s easy to take pot shots at him now but 90 per cent of the time they were basically apart.
“He certainly beats players on his merits. He’s a B&F winner, he’s played a lot of football, he’s an elite player and it’s unfortunate that the perception this creates of Steven is really inaccurate. It’s not his modus operandi, he certainly plays close and he can niggle but he beats players on his own.
“He’s got great speed, power and footy smarts. He’s a very good player. He has to live with that at the moment but in my view it’s not typical and everyone can form their own opinion.”
AFL legal counsel Andrew Tinney blasted Baker in his summary at the tribunal on Tuesday night, saying, “There’s nothing brave in zeroing in and focusing on an injured player and targeting that area.”
Lyon said he was not too concerned about Tinney’s comments.
“They are emotive terms aren’t they? Everyone will forge their own opinions about all types of things. It’s not my job to persuade people’s opinions. Over the journey he (Baker) is a credit to himself and his family,” Lyon said.
Lyon said he never instructed his players to attack opponents off the ball.
“I don’t like behind the play incidents, I remember when I was a player (at Fitzroy) a coach sent a message out to take a Carlton player out. At 22 years of age, I was horrified,” he said.
“We certainly don’t send messages like that. I encourage hard, tough footy but we are one of the least-reported clubs. We certainly want to be physical, we want to be aggressive but we want to play within the rules.
“No one wants the big elbows or the hits under the chins to exist. Clearly two players lost perspective of where they’re at and what they’re trying to achieve.”
