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Izak Rankine is set to travel back to Australia on Tuesday night and will speak to members of the media for the first time since he was handed a four-match ban for making a homophobic comment to a Collingwood player.
The 25-year-old Adelaide forward has travelled to Italy to complete a mini warm-weather training camp.
But according to The Herald Sun, he is now set to travel back, via Dubai, on Tuesday evening.
Rankine still has a possibility of playing again this season if the Crows lose their qualifying final against Collingwood on Thursday but still progress to the AFL Grand Final from there.
During an investigation into the homophobic slur he used against an unnamed Magpies player, the AFL had sought to hand a five-match ban to Rankine that would have ended his season entirely.
However, the Crows made several ‘compelling medical submissions’ to the AFL, which acted as mitigating factors in the league’s ultimate sanctioning. Rankine’s ban was subsequently reduced from five matches to four.
Izak Rankine is set to travel back to Australia on Tuesday night and will speak to members of the media for the first time since he was handed a four-match ban
It comes after the AFL handed down a four match suspension to the Crows player after he made a homophobic slur to a Collingwood player during a match on August 16
After learning his fate, the footy player expressed his remorse over the use of the homophobic slur
After learning his fate, the footy player expressed his remorse over the use of the homophobic slur.
‘I regret using the word and I am very sorry for doing so, and that type of language has no place in football or the community,’ Rankine said.
‘It was a mistake and I have apologised to the Collingwood player, and what happened does not reflect my values or those of the club.
‘I'm committed to educating myself and being better.’
He is yet to speak publicly on the matter after his initial statement was released by the Crows following his suspension.
It is understood that he has spoken to Crows AFLW captain Ebony Marinoff and men’s coach Chelsea Randall regarding the matter.
His decision to head overseas to participate in a training camp was set up by the club’s fitness manager Darren Burgess’, according to The Herald Sun. The move was said to be a means of taking the footy star out of the spotlight.
Though it is now unclear whether Rankine will participate in training with the rest of his team-mates this week as he is set to return before the Crows clash against the Pies on Thursday.
The Crows revealed that Rankine had been struggling in the days after the incident on August 16 and had flown abroad to get away from the spotlight
He became the sixth player to be sanctioned by the AFL in the past 16 months for a homophobic slur.
Earlier this year West Coast player Jack Graham and Sydney Swans player Riak Andrew were both handed bans for homophobic remarks.
Adelaide boss Tim Silvers had spoken of his concerns around Rankine’s wellbeing, revealing in the days following his side’s three-point win against Collingwood on August 16, Rankine had ‘barely left his house’.
‘I am nervous for him,’ Silvers told reporters. ‘He has gone through a difficult time over the past couple of days.
'We have had the appropriate support around him and I think the release of the decision is good and him being able to get out of the house and be able to get away for a couple of days and reset and come back to the footy club.'
'We are working through that for Izak at the moment. I think he might need some time out,' he said, adding that he could leave the city for a short period of time.
'He will need to continue to train and we are looking at some options to just get him away and out of the Adelaide environment for a week or so to make sure he trains and when he is ready to come back in we can't wait to have him back.'
Silvers, though, apologised to members of the LGBTQIA+ community during the press conference, condemning Rankine’s conduct.
Crows CEO Tim Silvers (pictured) explained that the club had looked for some leniency from the AFL when handing down Rankine's suspension
'We have a number of our supporters and fans who are a part of that community, I apologise to them,' Silvers said.
'We want to have an inclusive environment that they are a part of and I hope to see a number of those fans and those supporters at our (AFLW) game at Unley on the weekend.
'What he did was wrong, his behaviour was inappropriate and he was always going to be sanctioned.’
However, Silvers stated that the club had looked for some leniency from the AFL in handing down its suspension.
'We were looking at a slightly reduced sanction, it wasn't that we were not accepting that he had done something wrong.'
Silvers revealed that the Crows' playing cohort were both ‘disappointed and frustrated’ by their team-mate's actions.
‘It reflects poorly on our footy club but there is also a little bit of empathy for Izak, so we will support him through this,’ he said.
Silvers added: 'I think we are all losers in some way here and we accept the penalty and we won't be appealing, as a footy club we want to move on and Izak is very remorseful.’
