Adelaide Crows forward Izak Rankine has broken his silence following his four-match AFL suspension for directing a homophobic slur at a Collingwood player on 16 August. An emotional Rankine returned to Australia on Tuesday night and fought back tears as he publicly apologised at Adelaide airport, expressing remorse and a commitment to personal improvement.
“Going away has given me space to reflect and educate myself to understand the weight of my mistake,” Rankine said. “I am fully committed to bettering myself. In the next few days I will be standing in front of my teammates and the AFLW and apologising to them personally – and they deserve this at the very least.” He added that his only option now is to “put my head down, work hard, support my teammates” and show through his actions that he will learn from the incident.
The 25-year-old is the sixth AFL-listed player in 16 months to be banned for an on-field homophobic comment. Rankine has served one game of his suspension; his only chance of playing again this season is if the Crows lose Thursday’s qualifying final against Collingwood but progress to the grand final, when he would be available. Rankine stated he was “in no way a victim” and that there was “no excuse” for his words, which he acknowledged were “offensive, harmful, and hurtful”.
Rankine’s public comments came after he spent time in Italy to avoid the spotlight in Adelaide. Upon the AFL’s announcement of his ban on 21 August, Crows chief executive Tim Silvers expressed concern for Rankine’s mental health. The initial five-match ban was reduced to four due to “compelling medical submissions”, the nature of which has not been disclosed by the AFL or the club.
Rankine had already privately apologised to the Collingwood player the day after the match, before the AFL’s integrity unit launched an investigation. He is not expected to attend Adelaide’s final training session ahead of the qualifying final. The case adds to a growing list of AFL players suspended for homophobic comments, including Jeremy Finlayson, Wil Powell, Jack Graham, Riak Andrew, and Lance Collard.
