- Adelaide Crows star has been hit with a four-game ban
Former Adelaide Crows great turned radio star Stephen Rowe has been slammed for trying to turn Izak Rankine into ‘the victim’ after his recent homophobic slur during an AFL match.
The midfielder, 25, has been banned for four matches after he directed an anti-gay insult at a Collingwood player on August 16 at Adelaide Oval.
The AFL has a zero tolerance policy for on-field slurs, with West Coast’s Jack Graham banned for four games last month after making a homophobic remark to a GWS Giants player.
In April last year, Port Adelaide’s Jeremy Finlayson was banned for three games, then the following month Gold Coast’s Will Powell was suspended for five matches, both for homophobic slurs.
A similar ban for Rankine would rule the player out for the rest of the season and harm the high-flying Crows’ chances of winning their first AFL premiership since 1998.
‘He was attacked, he was targeted, he was provoked. This is him being Izak Rankine,’ Rowe told Adelaide’s 5AA.
Izak Rankine has been hit with a four-game ban from the league after he referred to a Collingwood player as a ‘fa***t’ on August 16 at Adelaide Oval
Stephen Rowe (pictured left) has been criticised for trying to turn Izak Rankine into ‘a victim’
‘They knew what they were doing, Collingwood. There’s no doubt about that.’
Rowe went on to say that Collingwood stood to gain the most by ‘weaponising’ the incident, as the two teams are likely to meet again in the finals.
He also claimed the Magpies could and should have dealt directly with Adelaide to keep the incident behind closed doors.
Some footy fans and pundits have reacted strongly to Rowe’s comments, taking to social media to blast the AFL great.
‘Trying to turn Rankine into the victim is GROSS,’ posted reporter Mark Gottlieb on X.
‘Insinuating this all could’ve been avoided if Collingwood didn’t say something is ordinary. Then complaining about Maynard talking yesterday, not actually mentioning what Maynard said? Forget who you support, this is pathetic,’ posted another X user.
‘The mere insinuation that Collingwood should take even a semblance of blame for an opposition player using a homophobic slur could be the single dumbest take I’ve ever seen. This extends to Adelaide themselves for prolonging this whole situation via the Houston deflection, too,’ posted a third.
Another social media user remarked: ‘Warren Tredrea is no longer the strangest broadcaster at FiveAA.’
Rankine is the sixth AFL-listed player suspended for a homophobic remark to an opponent in the past 16 months.
Rankine is the sixth AFL-listed player suspended for a homophobic remark to an opponent in the past 16 months
The AFL’s four-match ban is a shock given most experts expected him to be rubbed out for five weeks.
Rankine can now play in the grand final, but only if the Crows lose a qualifying final on their way to the biggest match of the year.
Meanwhile, Adelaide Crows coach Matthew Nicks admitted the intense spotlight on Rankine and his club in recent days has been a distraction ahead of his team’s clash with North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium this Saturday.
A win will seal the minor premiership for Adelaide, plus two home semi-finals.
‘We are supporting Izak because it is a tough thing to go through, and he knows it’s going to be tough from here,’ Nicks said.
‘But we’ll work our way through it.’
