Lengthy ban:Gold Coast’s Wil Powell.Credit:Getty Images
That might seem a severe penalty,particularly when measured against the minimum three-match suspension players receive for severe high bumps. But the only reasonable reaction to Powell’s comment was not only that it was offensive,but that it was dumb.
It wasn’t as though players hadn’t been warned that it was no longer acceptable to use homophobic slurs albeit it appears that occurred via osmosis rather than an official statement to clubs telling them what players might expect for future transgressions,something clubs are entitled to know in a professional competition.
The AFL’s legal counsel,Stephen Meade,had been blunt when delivering the three-match sanction to Finlayson,less than a month ago on April 10.
“The AFL will continue to consider the specific circumstances in each incident in determining appropriate responses. Jeremy’s sanction would have been higher if he didn’t immediately understand and take ownership of his mistake both privately and publicly,” Meade said.
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Even allowing for the fact some players don’t follow the game as much as the media and fans,Powell was aware enough to ’fess up immediately to club officials. Despite the fact he did immediately understand and take ownership of his mistake,the extra two matches were still required if the league is fair dinkum about stamping out homophobic language.
Some might think the AFL is being precious in applying the second-largest sanction of the season for the use of the word “f-----”. It is not.