Gold Coast ruck Max Knobel has been handed a four-match ban for using a homophobic slur during the second quarter of last weekend's VFL match against Brisbane.
The 21-year-old was handed the lengthy suspension on Thursday.
Gold Coast reported the incident following the Round 11 match and Knobel admitted to using the slur. He will have to undertake LGBTQI+ inclusion education and won't be able to play at AFL or VFL level for four matches.
“Respect and inclusion are fundamentals across all levels of our game and any language and behaviours that do not reflect this will not be tolerated,” AFL chief operating officer Tom Harley said.
“Homophobia and homophobic language have absolutely no place anywhere and we will continue to stamp out any conduct that does not reflect our values.
“We acknowledge that Max has self-reported the matter and accepted ownership of his mistake, however, the incident demonstrates that there is still more work to be done.
“We are committed to working together to make our game a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for all.”
The AFL has already had to hand out suspensions to two other players this season for using homophobic slurs with Brisbane's Koby Evans suspended for four weeks and and St Kilda's Lance Collard for two (his second time being found guilty of using homophobic language).
Will Houghton was also sacked as the chairman of the AFL appeals board for allegedly implying that racist, sexist or homophobic language used by players in game was understandable given the high intensity and competitive nature of their work.
Knobel was previously on Fremantle's list before making the move to Gold Coast at the end of 2024 in search of more opportunities. However, he is yet to debut.
