AFL chief govt Gillon McLachlan has revealed that there are identified homosexual male gamers within the competitors who’re nonetheless reluctant to return out resulting from public strain.
Whereas talking at a Management Issues lunch in Perth on Monday, McLachlan stated there have been homosexual gamers who have been identified to their teammates however who had not come out publicly.
“The very first thing I might say is I’m very comfy there are homosexual male gamers and I’m very comfy (in saying) they’re identified to their teammates.
“What they’re selecting is to not be the primary particular person.
“The strain and the burden on that particular person being the primary AFL participant who comes out and performs as an out homosexual man, I feel that weight, frankly I can perceive why they might select to not have to hold that burden round without end,” he stated .
The AFL is without doubt one of the solely codes in Australia with none brazenly homosexual gamers.
McLachlan highlighted how nobody inside the AFLW had the “burden” of being the primary brazenly homosexual participant as when the nationwide ladies’s competitors was launched in 2017, a plethora of ladies joined who have been visibly homosexual.
“They’d security in numbers, there was no first,” he stated.
The AFLW holds a Satisfaction Spherical annually, nonetheless, the AFL doesn’t.
Former NRL participant Ian Roberts got here out 27 years in the past, nonetheless, no different NRL participant has adopted swimsuit.
Ex-Wallabies star Dan Palmer stepped out as considered one of Australia’s first brazenly homosexual skilled rugby gamers in 2020 after hiding his sexuality nearly destroyed him.
NBL heart Isaac Humphries and A-League’s Andy Brennan and Josh Cavallo have all additionally come out as being homosexual.
