The AFL's first openly bisexual star hits back after being accused of being a narcissist who made his history-making announcement all about him

Former footy star Mitch Brown has hit back at social media users who have accused him of being a narcissist after he made history by becoming the first player to come out as bisexual.

‘I played for the AFL for 10 years for the West Coast Eagles and I’m a bisexual man,’ Brown said in a simple yet historic announcement last Wednesday.

Since then, there has been an outpouring of support from many within the footy world and wider Australian community, with clubs, fans and former players lauding Brown for his bravery.

However, Brown also took to Instagram over the weekend to fire a dig at multiple footy clubs who did not acknowledge his landmark announcement.

While a large number of clubs, including his former team, the West Coast, published messages of support to Brown online, the 36-year-old criticised Collingwood, Geelong, Adelaide and Brisbane on Instagram, after those teams did not appear to make comment on the matter.

Brown, a lifelong Collingwood fan, first took aim at the Magpies, writing on his Instagram story: ‘Collingwood, might not pay my membership next year at this rate.'

Next, it was the Cats' turn.

‘Geelong, you know my bro works with you, right?’

He added: 'Hey Adelaide... Nah, I won't even bother.

Brown lastly took a shot at Brisbane, appearing to publish a tongue-in-cheek message, referencing how the Lions had published a photo on social media to celebrate Taylor Swift’s engagement to Travis Kelce - but had failed to mention Brown.

'Brisbane Lions, you're off the hook. The Taylor Swift engagement is so much bigger than this. 'Who's next?'

In the wake of the Instagram post, some social media users have clapped back at the former defender, claiming that he was ‘attention seeking’.

One X user claimed it was ‘not a good look’ and added that ‘it seems like you care more about the attention and recognition more than your truth.’

Brown, who made 94 appearances for the Eagles between 2007 and 2016, has a message for those who have branded him a narcissist.

The former footy star admitted that he was ‘attention seeking’ but was not doing so to put the spotlight on himself; rather his intention is to raise awareness that homophobia still exists in the AFL, which should be a safe and inclusive environment for all people.

‘Hey, I just want to address one thing,’ Brown said, speaking in a video published on his Instagram account.

‘Plenty of people are writing directly to me saying that I’m making this about myself, attention seeking, narcissistic... all that stuff.

‘Isn’t that kind of the point though? That I’m trying to create attention.

‘Attention about a message around homophobia and hyper-masculinity in places where we consider, Australians consider a safe place. It’s kind of the point.

‘So yeah, I am attention seeking.’

Brown’s announcement came after Adelaide Crows star Izak Rankine became the sixth AFL-listed player in the past 16 months to receive a suspension for making a homophobic comment.

The AFL had looked to give Rankine a five-match ban initially, but later reduced the sentence after the Crows produced ‘several compelling medical submissions’ in their arguments to mitigate a full suspension. 

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon was among those to issue a note of support to Brown, with the footy chief stating that his brave announcement was a ‘step forward’ for the code.

'Mitch has shown great courage in sharing his story and personal journey. This is an important moment for him and for our entire game,' he said.

'Building on Mitch's story, we hope others feel encouraged to be their authentic selves and share their own journeys, and that these stories are met with support from teammates, clubs and the wider football community.

'The AFL will continue to partner with our clubs, pride groups and the LGBTQI+ community to drive and celebrate inclusion across both our AFL and AFLW competitions.

'Together, our commitment is to keep making football an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone to thrive — and that work never stops.'

The AFL has a zero-tolerance stance on homophobia, with Dillon having written in the league’s LGBTQIA+ Action Plan: ‘I want to be clear: There is absolutely no place for homophobia, biphobia or transphobia - or any form of discrimination for that matter - in our game, workplace or society.’

In June, the AFL handed Eagles player Jack Graham a four-match ban for a homophobic slur, while Sydney youngster Riak Andrew was slapped with a five-match ban in the same month for comments he made in a reserves game.

Lance Collard of St Kilda was given a six-match suspension for homophobic comments he made in a VFL game last year, while Port Adelaide player Jeremy Finlayson also received a three-game ban in 2024.

During his announcement, Brown explained that the ‘hypermasculine’ environment and culture that exists in AFL clubs made it impossible for him to be his true self.

And while he has been lauded for his announcement, one behavioural scientist at Monash University has explained that this is no time for the AFL to be celebrating.

Dr Erik Denison believes that the AFL has deeply embedded issues with homophobia.

‘I don’t think it’s time for the AFL community to be congratulating itself, sort of saying “job done, here look at us, we finally have an openly bisexual player”,’ he said to ABC Sport.

'This is the time for the AFL community to really look in the mirror, listen to what Mitch Brown is saying, and do something about the problems that he's describing.

'This is an opportunity for the AFL to drive long-overdue change to culture and behaviour at all levels of the game.'