AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon will not worry about how Jeremy Finlayson’s homophobic slur stacks up against other slurs as the league mulls a punishment for the Port Adelaide forward.
Finlayson directed a homophobic slur towards an Essendon player during the third quarter of the Power’s 69-point win over the Bombers at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
It is understood that a referee’s microphone picked up the insult, which was heard by several players, and at least one Essendon player also shouted it.
The 28-year-old apologized to the target for his insults after the match and formally apologized on Sunday, describing his words as “unacceptable”.
Dillon was asked if Finlayson’s comment amounted to a racial slur.
“We take them all very seriously and I don’t think you can compare or contrast them,” he said.
“But they are all different. We don’t like them and that’s why we are investigating it and that’s why there will be accountability.”
It’s still unclear what that “accountability” will be, with suspensions and fines among the options.
Last month, North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson was fined $20,000 and suspended for two games for abusing St Kilda defenders Jimmy Webster and Dougal Howard during a pre-season match.
Clarkson was asked to explain his actions to the AFL after allegedly using the homophobic slur “c*******er” during the practice match.
In 2021, Adelaide forward Taylor Walker received a six-match ban for making a racist comment about a rival reserve player.
Dillon did not give a specific time frame for Finlayson’s punishment, but confirmed it would be imposed before the next round, which begins on Thursday.
“We take these allegations very seriously and will conduct a full investigation,” he said.
“There will be an accounting for Jeremy at the end of that investigation. The schedule is that it will be done before the next round of matches.
“I don’t think there’s a place for that anywhere, let alone in the league.
“We take this very seriously and would prefer to have a proper investigation and a proper process to get to the right outcome.”
Asked whether Finlayson’s punishment should be a “captain’s call” made by him, Dillon indicated that fell to head of football Laura Kane and general counsel Stephen Meade.
“We have really extensive rules and regulations that deal with that and ultimately it’s a call to our director of football and our general counsel, and they will do it when they have all the information in front of them,” he said. saying.
Dillon was speaking at a press conference following the Gather Round, where the AFL and the South African government announced that the Barossa Valley would host a game in 2025.
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AAP
