Former Bombers star Adam Cooney gay players change ‘archaic’ footy culture

Ex-Bomber Adam Cooney believes there are at least two gay players at each club, who may not be comfortable coming out due to the AFL’s outdated culture.

Adam Cooney believes there are gay players at each team in the AFL after labelling it “archaic” that a footballer has yet to come out.

The former Bulldogs and Essendon star said on I’m a celebrity … Get Me out of Here! that it’s an unrealistic situation.

“I won’t say it’s been hidden because it is a person’s choice whether they come out or not,” he told camp mates in the jungle.

“I would have no idea about a percentage but I would say there would be at least one or two players in every team. Why haven’t they come out? I just think it’s going to take one person and I hope it happens soon. It is a bit archaic and unrealistic that there’s a whole national competition and there’s not one gay player.”

Adam Cooney is starring in the current season of Network Ten’s ‘I’m a Celeb’. Picture: supplied

Cooney also spoke about how his enjoyment for the game diminished after suffering injuries.

He said the joy stopped when he was 25.

“Not one thing,” he said when asked what he misses about the game.

“There hasn’t been one second since I retired that I’ve missed playing. I’d had enough when I was 25.

“I hurt my knee when I was reasonably young, about 22, and I’d just won the Brownlow, it was that season I injured my knee towards the end of the season. I split my kneecap and I had surgery at the end of the season and I sheared away all the cartilage underneath the knee cap so I just couldn’t get back to that level and that was the most frustrating thing and that’s probably why I fell out of love with the game.

Former Essendon star Adam Cooney believes there are gay players at each team in the AFL who haven’t come out because of the challenges they may face. Picture: AAP Image

“When I injured my knee it was at halftime in a game and I went into the rooms and it swelled up like a balloon and the doctors had a look at it and I had four local anaesthetics pumped into it and then just played the rest of the game. That’s what it was like. Sometimes I trained with a local anaesthetic.

“They do suck the life out of you when you get to an AFL club and it does take the joy and the fun and the love away from the game for many people that play.”

Cooney said the greatest day of his life was when he got married to wife Haylea.

“I’ve got three kids and I love them all but I think my greatest day was when I got married,” he said.

“The birth of children is beautiful but it’s also pretty disgusting in a way. You should see what they look like when they come out, these little alien creatures. They get cuter.”