Knights hooker Phoenix Crossland said Nathan Cleary told him to "please stop apologising" when Crossland phoned the Panthers halfback on Monday afternoon.
Cleary suffered a compound fracture to his lower left leg in the tackle, which ended his season and left him facing an extended period on the sidelines.
Crossland was sent off and charged over the incident. He pleaded guilty to dangerous contact and was expected to miss Sunday's grand final against the Roosters.
He appeared before the NRL judiciary on Tuesday night, in tears, to learn his suspension fate.
Sohier reported that several angles of the tackle were shown. Crossland's lawyer, James McLeod, began by asking about his NRL debut and how many games he had played.
Asked about the tackle, Crossland said he had "no recollection" of it and had only seen replays in the days since Sunday.
"They can see that there are mitigating circumstances and it wasn't a deliberate tackle, but a message has to be sent about this style of tackle," Sohier said of the NRL's argument.