- Will Powell used homophobic comments on social networks
- Screenshots of his comments have emerged.
- The comments appear to have been made three years ago.
Will Powell apparently used homophobic language on social media before abusing a football rival last Sunday, after Instagram screenshots emerged.
Gold Coast Suns star Powell, 24, was handed a five-game suspension after calling a rival Brisbane player ‘shit’ during his team’s defeat over the weekend, further highlighting the issue of the football with homophobia.
Powell follows Jeremy Finlayson on the sidelines, with the Port Adelaide star using the same insult in a match against Essendon.
And according to the Sydney Morning Herald, Powell is accused of commenting homophobic language on a former fringe player’s Instagram photos.
The comments were posted approximately three years ago, and the relationship between Powell and the player was unclear, and whether the comments were made in jest.
Screenshots of messages apparently sent by Will Powell have emerged
Some of the comments included “probably lost because gay”, “you can’t surf gay”, “gay” and “pink looks good on you”.
Powell apologized for the comment made during Sunday’s game and promised to educate himself better.
The Suns declined to make an official comment to the Sydney Morning Herald about the online posts, but said the language used would form the basis of their anti-homophobia education.
Meanwhile, Ian Roberts, the first rugby league player to come out as gay, believes the AFL has a 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 you have to start: education, education, education.
“It never crosses my mind to call someone ‘shit,'” Roberts said. ‘When people say that word, they don’t just say it, they spit it.
‘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.
‘It’s bigger than the incident. What I mean by this, I can promise you this: there will be a kid in the suburbs in the regional areas who may not have heard many stories in recent weeks, but they have definitely heard that story.
‘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 am there [at Qtopia] because I believe in education, education, education to advance this and the catastrophic consequences on what discrimination can affect people, what it looks like and how it can develop.’