I can accept the decision and authority of the appeal board, but I cannot accept that racist, sexist and homophobic language is excused as ‘commonplace’ in a ‘highly competitive’ game
The AFL appeal board’s decision to reduce the penalty handed to Lance Collard for allegedly using a homophobic slur, from nine games to four, is truly bewildering. If there is any positive to take from it, it is that I have never seen an AFL disciplinary hearing’s outcome so universally derided as this one, from all sides of politics and the sport.
Many individuals with a keen interest in the game have already shared their perspectives – including former AFLW player Kate McCarthy and reporter Marnie Vinall – and I echo their sentiments here. The appeal board’s decision leaves so much to be desired, and how Collard could receive a smaller penalty for his second offence than his first, is truly bizarre. It is only natural to be disappointed.
Mitch Brown is a Melbourne-based writer and former West Coast AFL footballer