Footy great Brendan Fevola reveals why the AFL has never had an openly gay player: ‘It’s so sad’
- No AFL stars past or present have confirmed that they are gay
- Carlton great Brendan Fevola thinks it is a ‘sad’ situation
- Different story in other Australian sporting codes
Footy legend Brendan Fevola has accused the AFL of not being accepting enough, declaring it “sad” that no gay player past or present has felt comfortable enough to come out.
Speaking on Fox FMs Fifi, Fev and Nick for breakfast During the radio show, the presenter said he was certain he played with or against gay footballers at some point in his career.
“Obviously I played AFL. I probably would have played with someone who was gay,” Fevola said.
‘It doesn’t matter to me, to each their own. “Obviously there are gay footballers, but no footballer in our code has ever come out as gay.”
The Blues’ seven-time leading goalkeeper also questioned why athletes have seen players come out in various Australian sporting codes, but never in AFL.
Footy legend Brendan Fevola (pictured right with radio co-stars Fifi Box and Nick Cody) has stated it is ‘sad’ that no gay AFL player, past or present, feels comfortable enough to come out
Speaking on Fox FM’s Fifi, Fev and Nick for Breakfast radio show, Fevola said he felt confident playing with or against gay footballers at some point in his career.
“It’s happened in other sports. In football, in NRL… what makes you think a player can’t come out and say he’s gay?’ Fevola asked.
‘It’s so sad.’
The Blues great then shared his admiration for Australian basketball star Isaac Humphries, who made history when he came out in 2022.
“I remember Humphries, who played for Melbourne United – a basketball player – came out about two years ago and came to his teammates and they filmed it and it was one of the most powerful speeches,” Fevola said.
“You would think if a footballer saw that they would take that and think, ‘Maybe that could happen to me’… but you don’t think the football world would accept that.”
Fevola’s opinion comes as TikTok identity Scott O’Halloran opened up about his previous long-term relationship with an AFL star.
O’Halloran revealed his former romance with the sports star on this week’s episode of his podcast Luke and Sassy Scott.
Fevola (pictured during a Big Bash League cricket match) pointed out the warm reception basketball star Isaac Humphries received when he made history by coming out in 2022
He explained that the pair dated for “three to four years when they were both in the closet,” but their relationship ended due to “toxicity and homophobia.”
“I was in a relationship for about three to four years with an AFL footballer, who is no longer in the AFL,” he said.
‘I think I loved him. I don’t know if he loved me. We enjoyed each other’s company and confided so much in each other when we were both in the closet.”
O’Halloran described their relationship as ‘beautiful’, but admitted they were terrified their romance would become public.
“But then there was another side where we could see that he was an AFL footballer and a legend of the game and how scared he was of ever being found out for who he was, because of the homophobia in the game. ‘
He continued, “The toxicity and homophobia ended our relationship.
‘There was too much pressure on him. There was too much pressure on me.’