Gay footy player reveals why there are NO out and proud stars in the AFL

A former AFL star who hid his sexuality out of fear has explained why no player has publicly come out since.

The issue has made headlines once again after Adelaide Crows star Izak Rankine was banned for four games after using a homophobic slur against a Collingwood player. 

The tribunal said the word he used – which was reportedly 'f****t' – was 'highly offensive' but gave weight to medical evidence when deciding the penalty. 

Many fans and commentators felt the ban was too light and showed the AFL is still not consistent in tackling homophobia. 

Now a former AFL player who wanted to be identified as 'Jason' has contacted ABC Melbourne to reveal why gay competitors were so reluctant to come out. 

'There's a reason why we don't have a top level AFL player that's out,' Jason said. 

'Every other football code has.

'And that's because of the culture surrounding this.'

He also revealed the shocking treatment he received from teammates – even after he had retired from the sport. 

'I had that word that he supposedly said written on my team photo in the club rooms,' he said.

'Once I did finish playing, they would sit around on the Sunday and have a barrel and call me ... And have derogatory, homophobic calls, which was just harassment.

'We just need to stop it, at any cost. And if he [Rankine] misses out on the grand final, so be it. Homophobia has no place anywhere.'

Michael O'Donnell is another footballer who experienced the isolation of being the only gay player in a team.

He played for a suburban Aussie Rules football club in Melbourne's eastern suburbs and previously spoke to Four Corners about his experiences.

'The change rooms and the football field [were] just not places that accepted me,' he said. 

''It was just random jokes, little, subtle words, where you hear it constantly, and it really digs into you.'

Rankine's slur is not uncommon in the AFL. The league has faced a string of homophobic incidents in recent seasons. 

In 2024, Port Adelaide's Jeremy Finlayson was suspended for three games and Gold Coast's Wil Powell for five, while St Kilda-listed forward Lance Collard copped six weeks in the VFL for multiple slurs. 

In 2025, Richmond's Jack Graham self-reported and received a four-game ban.

Commentator Brian Taylor once mocked a player for waving 'like a p*****r', and St Kilda's Stephen Milne was caught on camera calling an opponent a 'f***ing h***'.

'Hearing those sorts of words, it internalises your homophobia and it creates a sort of self-perpetuating hate within you as well, and that can be really, really difficult to deal with,' O'Donnell said. 

'I lost 15 years because there was no-one ahead of me.

'If we can have someone come out and stop that happening, there will be a bunch of young, very talented AFL players who end up in the top level of the game.

'That'd be a great legacy for someone to leave.'