Gay footy players reveal how they want Jeremy Finlayson punished for his homophobic slur
Two openly gay footballers have called on the AFL to fine and ban Port Adelaide’s Jeremy Finlayson after the homophobic slur he used against an Essendon player during the Gather Round.
It comes as Port Adelaide chairman David Koch is criticized for his response to the issue.
Finlayson, 28, is still awaiting punishment from the AFL’s Integrity Unit as they continue to investigate the slur.
CEO Andrew Dillon confirmed on Monday that the punishment will be handed down before this week’s matches start on Thursday.
The footy star’s slur was picked up by a referee’s microphone at Adelaide Oval on Friday evening, with Essendon players also shouting out.
Two openly gay footballers have called on the AFL to ban Port’s Jeremy Finlayson (pictured left) after the homophobic slur he uttered during the Gather Round
Openly gay footy player turned LGBTI advocate Jason Ball (pictured centre) branded Jeremy Finlayson’s shocking attack ‘damaging to people and damaging to our game’
A remorseful Finlayson informed the club at three-quarters mark that he had used the slur and subsequently apologized to the player at full-time.
Jason Ball – a former amateur footballer in Victoria who publicly came out in 2012 – said Finlayson’s slur was another example of why “no male AFL player felt comfortable coming out”.
“This incident should be dealt with in the same way the AFL would deal with a racial slur,” he said News Corp.
“Both (racism and gay slurs) are harmful to people and harmful to our game. We need education for players and coaches and we need to see proactive campaigns to eradicate homophobic language, both on the field and in the stands, among the elite and at the grassroots.”
Michael O’Donnell, who plays for UNSW’s Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs in Sydney and is openly gay, said football clubs at local level are incredibly considerate of his sexuality.
He also found Finlayson’s slur ‘incredibly disappointing’.
“I think this is an opportunity for the AFL to show that this is no longer acceptable in football. It’s not like 20 to 25 years ago when these types of comments were much more common,” he said.
Port Adelaide chairman David Koch has come under fire after suggesting a two-match ban would be imposed and a hefty fine would be the ‘benchmark’ in terms of punishment for Finlayson
Meanwhile, Koch appeared on the ABCs on April 7 Offsiders program and left some footy fans furious when asked about the severity of the punishment the league could impose on Finlayson.
He was referring to the case of North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson, who was fined $20,000 and given a two-match ban for allegedly using the word “c**ks***er” in a heated argument with two St Kilda players during the match. preseason.
“If you look at comparisons, and there are benchmarks to be set, where a 55-year-old coach, with premeditation, focuses on the player and walks up to him, it’s very different from a player in the heat of the moment, when there were a lot of flaws in the game, the pressure – again, absolutely no excuse, I don’t condone it,” Koch said.
“But if you’re going to look at a comparison, that (Clarkson’s sentence) would be the benchmark.”
The former sunrise The presenter was then asked if he thought it was in the same category as Crows star Taylor Walker’s 2021 on-field racial slur, which saw him banned for six matches and fined $20,000.
“I don’t think that’s realistic… I think the benchmark has already been set (with the Clarkson incident).”
Footy fans criticized Koch, accusing him of trying to excuse Finlayson’s actions by saying that, like Clarkson, he did not deserve to miss games.
‘Yes no @kochie_online. A slur is a slur is a slur. You say you don’t condone a player making homophobic comments on the pitch and that there is no excuse, but in the same sentence you practically excuse it by saying it happened ‘in the heat of the moment’ and a ‘little thing’ . So disappointing,” wrote Australian actor Matthew Backer.
“Absolutely ridiculous version of David Koch,” another commenter wrote.
“David Koch: Homophobia is okay, but racism isn’t,” a third added.
Comments such as these from Australian actor Matthew Backer sum up the thoughts of many football fans who took to social media to lash out at Port Adelaide chairman David Koch.
The former Sunrise presenter was accused of downplaying the seriousness of Finlayson’s shocking act, saying it could not be compared to Crow star Taylor Walker’s on-pitch racist abuse in 2021, which resulted in a suspension of six games.
“Imagine if the tables were turned, @kochie_online would want the player suspended,” one fan predicted, while another added: “David Koch is a hypocrite if one of his team’s players gets hit?!? Shocking.’
“This is pretty disgusting coming from Koch,” wrote journalist Greg Jericho.
‘It’s appalling and sends the wrong message to others that there are different levels of homophobic speech and this one should be seen as less. There should be no excuses for any player, coach, official, crowd member, anyone, who chooses to berate others. Koch is wrong,” said another fan.
“No men’s AFL player has ever been OPENLY gay while playing in a top team. Not one. Never. Statistically speaking, it’s nonsense that there are no gay men in AFL. An attitude like Koch’s is the reason they’re all in the closet,” said another.
Finlayson has since expressed remorse for his behavior.
“I knew immediately that this was not acceptable and I take full responsibility,” he said.
“I discussed it at the time and…let everyone know what happened and it’s now in the hands of the AFL to investigate.
‘I continue to reflect and improve myself, and get as much education as possible to make myself better.’