AFLW great Abbey Holmes has said homophobic slurs used by football star Jeremy Finlayson and coach Alastair Clarkson cannot be compared as debate rages over the very different punishments handed out to the pair.
Finlayson has been suspended for three weeks and ordered to attend and pay for a Pride In Sport training program after using the disgraceful term ‘f****t’ to describe an Essendon player in last Friday’s match for the night.
The sanction came just over a month after North Melbourne coach Clarkson was fined $20,000 and suspended for two games for allegedly directing the insults ‘c**ks**kers’ at St Kilda defenders, Jimmy Webster and Dougal Howard, during a pre-match match. season game.
Holmes (pictured at this year’s Australian Grand Prix) sees no problem with the huge difference in penalties for Jeremy Finlayson and North coach Alastair Clarkson, despite both using homophobic slurs against rival players.
Finlayson has been banned for three games for his outburst and could have faced more time out of the game had he not quickly apologized on Friday night.
Clarkson only received a suspended ban despite the premeditated nature of his insult against two St Kilda players in pre-season.
The AFL Players’ Association has joined many experts and fans in criticizing the league for having double standards and not doing enough to eradicate homophobia in the game.
Holmes, who commentates on AFL games for Channel Seven, disagreed with that stance when asked about the scandal on Sunrise on Thursday morning.
“I think these two isolated incidents are very different – very different situations and circumstances,” he told host Matt Shirvington.
‘I like that the AFL have come out and given this three-match suspension…under no circumstances will they accept or tolerate homophobic insults or attacks.
“I think it’s fair to Jeremy Finlayson and when the AFLPA came out and said it’s a double standard, you need to look at these incidents on their own, in isolation.
‘They are very, very different. You can’t compare one or the other.”
Unlike Holmes, the head of the AFL Players’ Association believes the punishments represent a double standard that is detrimental to the game.
Holmes’ comments are similar to those of Port Adelaide president David Koch, who was criticized for saying Clarkson’s case had set a benchmark for how the league punishes anti-gay slurs.
“If you look at the comparisons, and you have to establish reference points, with a 55-year-old coach, premeditated, pointing at the player, walking towards him, it is very different to a player in the heat of battle, when there is many problems in the game, the pressure; Again, there is absolutely no excuse, it cannot be tolerated,” Koch said.
While Koch was pushing for Finlayson to avoid a suspension, Holmes was not, but he is at odds with the players’ association, football experts and fans who believe the AFL sent a shocking message by not banning Clarkson.
High-profile sports commentators, including Damien Barrett and Ashleigh Nelson, have criticized the league for adopting double standards.
Port Adelaide president David Koch (pictured) came under fire when he argued the incidents involving Clarkson and Finlayson were “very different” while advocating for the Power star to avoid a suspension.
There has been speculation that the league believed the term Finlayson used is worse than what Clarkson used when he handed down the penalty.
“If this type of conduct is a three-week ban for one player, it should be for everyone involved in the game and this should be made clear to everyone in the industry from the start, rather than the open approach that currently exists.” ‘ said AFLPA boss Paul Marsh.
Commentators on social media have criticized the difference in AFL sanctions.
“Maybe the AFL could say for once they got something wrong. Admit that Clarkson’s was soft and set a new precedent with Finlayson. “He deserves to have the book thrown at him and as fans we need to see the AFL align with society’s expectations,” one fan tweeted.
‘Just last month, Alastair Clarkson received a $20k fine and a 2-game suspension for the same thing despite having a long list of misdemeanors. Rules for some and rules for others? another wrote.
Holmes (pictured at a recent match with Hollywood star Jeremy Piven) believes Finlayson’s suspension sends the right message about the league’s attitude towards homophobia.
“This just makes Clarkson’s suspension really poor early in the season. Finlayson’s penalty is accurate, but what Clarkson received is not good enough.
Geelong great Joel Selwood weighed in on the furor on Wednesday night, saying he is worried the scandal will make it less likely the AFL will finally have an openly gay player.
While he said the player who came out in today’s game would be “well within the football club,” he believes the league is “probably further away now because maybe people will see him differently.”
“That individual who may be gay within the landscape of the AFL men’s program is not comfortable with that (since the Finlayson issue).”