AFL footballer handed massive ban after homophobic slurs incident

A St Kilda footballer has been handed a record suspension for homophobic comments made on the field this weekend.

Lance Collard of the Saints. Pic: Michael Klein

St Kilda youngster Lance Collard has been handed a season-ending ban of six weeks for the homophobic comments he made to multiple opponents against Williamstown in the VFL over the weekend.

His suspension comes on the back of the AFL handing Gold Coast defender Wil Powell a five-match ban for his own homophobic comments earlier in the year.

As first reported by Channel 9’s Tom Morris, the suspension is the longest of the three instances of players using homophobic language in 2024.

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Lance Collard has received a six-game ban from the AFL.@FootyonNine@9NewsMelb

— Tom Morris (@tommorris32) July 17, 2024

Fox Footy’s Jon Ralph - who first reported the indiscretion - reported for the Herald Sun that the allegations involve multiple f-word slurs and multiple victims.

Collard has played three matches in his debut campaign for the Saints after being drafted as a lively small forward out of Subiaco.

The AFL integrity unit have been speaking to Williamstown players about the issue and per The Age’s Peter Ryan, there are claims that the slurs were audible to many players on the ground.

Earlier this year, Port Adelaide forward Jeremy Finlayson also copped a three-match ban for making homophobic comments against Essendon and at the time, the league made it clear that they would be cracking down.

“It is extremely disappointing to be dealing with a similar incident in only a matter of weeks,” AFL legal boss Stephen Meade said earlier this week on Collard’s comments.

“We foreshadowed both publicly and privately that after what transpired at Gather Round if a similar incident was to happen there would be further consequence.

“There could be no clearer message – homophobia has no place in our game, nor in society. We want all people in the community to feel welcomed in our game and comments such as Powell’s only takes away from this. As a code, as a community, we all must be better.”

Originally published as AFL footballer handed massive ban after homophobic slurs incident