Mitch Brown Reached Out To Izak Rankine After Homophobic Incident

AFL’s first openly bisexual male player, Mitch Brown, has spoken about reaching out to Izak Rankine after his ban for homophobia.

The former West Coast Eagles player appeared on an episode of the podcast, The Imperfects, touchingly named “We Waited 129 Years For This”, where he opened up about the culture of AFL, reactions to his coming out, and his journey with self-acceptance.

Brown talked about Adelaide Crows forward Izak Rankine, who received a four-game suspension last month after he used a homophobic slur during a match with Collingwood.

He said that while Rankine received significant criticism for his behaviour, he didn’t blame the 25-year-old for his actions.

“I would never point out an individual, I would never do that,” Brown said. “Because it’s more than that, it’s bigger than that- it’s cultural, it’s systematic.”

Rankine was the sixth AFL player to receive a suspension after using homophobic slurs on the field in the space of 16 months.

Following his ban, Rankine gave a public apology at Adelaide Airport after returning from a club-approved overseas trip.

“There was no excuse. It was wrong and I take full responsibility,” he said at the time. “I’m disappointed in myself and I know I have let a lot of people down. I want to apologise to anyone who I have hurt and offended. I understand that word was offensive, harmful, it’s hurtful and has no place in our game or our society.”

Brown said he wanted to make sure Rankine knew his actions were also driven by a wider culture of disrespect in the AFL, and that he would be able to bounce back from the homophobic incident.

“I watched him on screen apologising for what he did after he went away and came back from overseas, and I could feel the hurt and heaviness on him,” Brown said. “I just wanted to let him know that it’s not his fault. He’s not a bad person.

“As an Aboriginal man, he’s on the end of direct racism and non direct, systematic racism every single day of his life. So the guy understands, he understands what it’s like.

“I didn’t want to let a good, positive male role model define himself by one incident, so I felt compelled to share and let him know it’s okay, you are still a good role model.”

Landmark moment missed by some AFL clubs

Brown also spoke about his disappointment at the clubs who chose not to issue a public statement of support after his coming out.

“When the the AFL CEO speaks out and makes a statement marking the moment, and then I get a call from the Governor General of Australia… you’d have to have your head in the sand not to be able to go, wow.

“This is what the broader message means around safety and inclusivity in sport and for some organisations and clubs not to mark that…It was frustrating.”

Brown also discussed the number of queer club staff members that had reached out to him, saying many of them worried about how they’d be perceived in their role if they chose to come out.

“It’s only until after they’re finished up [that they come out],” he said.

“It’s not just about protecting those players out in the field, but it’s that young person that’s sitting next to you, or maybe a couple of rows back. It’s that security guard that is a hyper-masculine man and looks that way, but he’s got a daughter that’s questioning her sexuality.

“When clubs don’t speak or represent their full community, I think they’ve just missed the mark so much.”