Port Adelaide forward Jeremy Finlayson has expressed frustration over his three-match ban from the AFL for uttering a homophobic slur at an opponent.
Finlayson is currently sidelined as he serves his suspension for the in-game incident, which occurred during the Power’s victory over Essendon in round four.
The 28-year-old apologized several times for the incident before receiving his ban last week.
But he has since spoken out about the sanction during an episode of his wife Kellie Finlayson’s podcast, Sh!t Talkers, which was released on Tuesday.
Finlayson spoke during a regular segment of the podcast, in which hosts and guests highlight their “good, bad and offensive” talking points from the week.
“My ‘offense’ is that I was upset that I got suspended for three weeks,” Finlayson said.
“That’s it. That’s pushed me over the edge. That’s it. We’ll leave it there and [at] that and move on.”
Finlayson did not elaborate, so it was not clear what specific aspect of the suspension bothered him.
Earlier this week, AFL Commission chairman Richard Goyder defended the league’s decision to suspend Finlayson.
Goyder’s comments came amid an ongoing debate over the discrepancy between Finlayson’s penalty and the one awarded to North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson.
In March, Clarkson was fined $20,000 and given a two-match ban for a similar insult hurled at St Kilda pair Dougal Howard and Jimmy Webster during a trial match.
The discrepancy sparked heavy criticism, particularly from the AFL Players’ Association (AFLPA), which last week accused the league of applying double standards.
Port Adelaide president David Koch said he hoped the league would “apply consistency to these types of cases in the future”, while AFLPA chief Paul Marsh called for an “urgent review of the league’s sanctions framework.” AFL”.
“We believe the AFL is consistently inconsistent and there are double standards in their approach to dealing with players compared to others on behavioral issues,” Marsh said last week.
“This issue highlights the lack of clarity around how the AFL handles these situations, and we want this to be the catalyst for an urgent review of the sanctioning framework.
“If this type of behavior is a three-week ban for one player, it should be for everyone involved in the game.
“This should be made clear to everyone in the industry from the start, rather than the open approach that currently exists.”
Goyder took a different view on the differences in the sanctions imposed on Finlayson and Clarkson.
“I don’t think there’s a difference in the sense that the AFL has taken a very firm stance on that issue, and that stance is the most important thing,” Goyder said on Monday.
“We will see the shame… I hope this never happens again.
“If this happens again, we will consider a sanction appropriate to the circumstances.
“Both penalties were a very strong signal from the AFL that there is no place in our game for that type of action.”
AAP
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