- Max Gawn ‘ashamed’ of being an AFL footballer
- It is necessary to change the homophobic attitudes of some players
- Follows recent bans on Wil Powell and Jeremy Finlayson
Melbourne Demons captain Max Gawn has said he feels “ashamed” to be known as a football player, as AFL stars continue to be arrested for using homophobic slurs during matches.
Fed up, Gawn, 32, said on Triple M’s Marty Sheargold Show on Friday that the on-field name-calling must stop.
It follows Gold Coast Suns star Wil Powell receiving a five-game ban after calling a rival Brisbane Lions player ‘shit’, further illustrating the code’s problem with homophobia.
Powell follows Jeremy Finlayson on the sidelines after the Port Adelaide star utters the same insult in a match against Essendon in April.
Finlayson received a three-game suspension and Gawn was scathing when asked his opinion on the matter.
Melbourne Demons captain Max Gawn has said he feels “ashamed” to be known as a football player, as AFL stars continue to use homophobic language during matches.
Speaking to Triple M’s Marty Sheargold show on Friday morning, premiership-winning captain Gawn believes players need to be better.
“I’m not too worried about him. [Powell, five-game] punishment,’ he said.
‘I’m quite embarrassed that the AFL cohort makes mistakes again and again.
“It’s embarrassing to call yourself an AFL player right now. They are slapping you with this [homophobic] brand.
“Hopefully, I know our group, [Demons] talk about these things. Hopefully, we [as a game] “We have learned our lesson and we can move forward.”
Meanwhile, Ian Roberts, the first rugby league player to come out as gay, believes the AFL has a clear problem with homophobic attitudes.
“Education at an early age is the biggest sword and shield to deal with things like this,” he said.
‘With grown men, the battle is over. The important thing is the basics. The AFL and major codes should invest in grassroots education if they really want to fix this. That’s where it has to start: education.
‘It never crosses my mind to call someone ‘shit’…’When people say that word, they don’t just say it, they spit it.
Gawn’s strong words follow Gold Coast Suns star Wil Powell receiving a five-game suspension this week for “conduct unbecoming”.
Ian Roberts, the first rugby league player to come out as gay, believes the AFL has a clear problem with homophobic attitudes.
‘It’s the height of insults. You’re trying to demoralize someone. You belittle a person that you are nothing, I am going to erase you under my foot.
‘I can promise you this: there will be a child in the suburbs of regional areas who may not have heard many stories in recent weeks, but they definitely have.
‘If they’re struggling with their sexuality and identity, and they don’t understand what they’re going through, that validates all the fear they feel.
“I believe in education to move this forward… you need to consider the catastrophic consequences of what discrimination can do to people, what it looks like and how it can play out.”
Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan has said he is happy with the “clear direction” the AFL is taking against the use of homophobic slurs.
‘“I agree with his position, that those types of comments cannot be made on the field,” he said.