AFL news, updates: Izak Rankine handed season-ending ban in brutal blow to Adelaide Crows' premiership hopes as new explosive details into alleged behaviour come to light, homophobic slur revealed, wh
The contest in which the Crows emerged three-point victors was one of the games of the season, but it was overshadowed by an ugly moment where Rankine allegedly said a gay slur towards his Pies opponent.
In the aftermath, the AFL launched a thorough investigation into the on-field comment and reportedly concluded on Tuesday that the conduct was deserving of a season-ending ban, in what would be a brutal blow for the Crows as they push for their first premiership since 1998.
As of Wednesday morning, the AFL has not formally revealed the outcome of the investigation.
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Rankine allegedly called his opponent a f****t, with the alleged incident coming just weeks after West Coast's Jack Graham was banned for four matches for calling a GWS player a 'f***ing f****t'.
Footy presenter Eddie McGuire claimed he had the early mail on the call on Channel 9's Footy Classified on Tuesday night that the Crows star's season was over.
'Izak Rankine's season is over,' he said.
'Tonight the AFL will send a letter to Adelaide and my understanding is the suspension is for five weeks. His season is finished in 2025.
'The Adelaide Football Club will have the opportunity to appeal the sanction, because they could argue it is unjust.'
The reported suspension would see him miss a grand final as even a four-game ban could rub Rankine out for the rest of the season if the Crows won both qualifying and preliminary final.
It is understood the Crows have written to the AFL highlighting extenuating circumstances, including another exchange with Collingwood defender Dan Houston.
Houston is not the player Rankine delivered the alleged slur towards on Saturday night.
Izak Rankine has reportedly copped a monster ban for using a homophobic slur. Image: Getty/Kayo
And in another explosive twist, as the investigation enters its fourth day, Channel 7's Mitch Cleary revealed that Collingwood has played a major role in the inquiry into Rankine, bringing to light another alleged incident in a previous match.
'Izak Rankine allegedly delivered a similar slur towards a Collingwood opponent in a match several years ago,' Cleary wrote on X on Tuesday night.
'The incident hasn't been lost on Magpies players as the investigation into Rankine ramped up over the last 48 hours.'
But news.com.au understands that despite the AFL being made aware of the alleged prior indiscretion, the investigation into Rankine is only relating to Saturday's incident.
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The two players had several push and shoves throughout the match.
On Monday night, Fox Footy's AFL 360 showed multiple incidents of Rankine engaging in heated exchanges with Collingwood's Isaac Quaynor.
'It was a tense night; it was physically played in close quarters, and Rankine was involved in various stages in heated battles with Isaac Quaynor, which then spilt to other opponents,' Gerard Whateley said on AFL 360.
Watch the incidents in the video player at the top of the page.
Izak Rankine is expected to miss the remainder of the 2025 season in a crushing blow to the Crows' premiership hopes. (Photo by)
'The other players on the field were well aware of what had been said, and yesterday Collingwood contacted Adelaide to inform them of what was known. Adelaide then handed it over to the AFL Integrity Unit, who have conducted their investigation today; both players have been spoken to, Rankine at about 4pm to understand his version of events.
'These are dealt with as summary judgments; there's no Tribunal hearing or the like … in a very real way, I think these have been Andrew Dillon's calls.'
Rankine is understood to have apologised to the Pies player over the phone on Sunday.
And according to his teammate Taylor Walker on Tuesday, the Crows forward is incredible remorseful and deeply regrets his actions.
'I spoke to him last night on the phone, and he's very remorseful, and he understands that he's made a mistake, and he'll accept whatever comes his way,' Walker said on Triple M Breakfast on Tuesday.
'He hasn't been outside, and yeah, he had a full day of investigation with the AFL yesterday, and until such time the sanction is handed down, I can't comment on that.
'What I can comment on is that our footy club is a very positive and supportive environment, and we will do, we will support ranks, however, we don't agree with what happened.'
Rankine's AFL career started with the Suns in 2018, after being drafted as the third pick.
Injuries delayed his debut until 2020, where he immediately took the sport by storm, booting three goals.
Two years later, he was traded to his boyhood club, the Adelaide Crows, where he has transformed into one of the most lethal forwards in the AFL.
AFL's previous bans for slurs
This is the sixth such offence since the beginning of last year involving slurs, with the AFL slowly trending towards harsher bans as shown below:
Jeremy Finlayson (April, 2024) – three game suspension
Wil Powell (May, 2024) – five game suspension
Lance Collard (July, 2024) – six game suspension
Jack Graham (July, 2025) – four game suspension
Riak Andrew (July, 2025) – five game suspension
The AFL has made a point of compounding the penalty each time an offence occurs.
However, the AFL has since gone back on its word stating at the end of last season they will consider 'specific circumstances in each incident in determining appropriate responses and does not consider that it is bound by the level of sanctions that it has previously imposed for similar incidents.'
But with this being the sixth instance of an anti-gay slur being used in the past 16 months, the AFL is understandably fed up and wanting to make a statement.
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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Izak Rankine's ban for homophobic slur: What was the AFL supposed to do?
COMMENT In the end the AFL managed to upset everyone. Make no mistake, Izak Rankine would not have gone to bed last night feeling any better about himself after being given a four-game suspension for using a homophobic slur against a Collingwood player last weekend. His personal reputation is in tatters, he may have ruined his club's best chance to win a premiership in three decades and the ban still almost certainly ends his season. Crows fans won't feel any less despondent today knowing Rankine could be available for a grand final if their team loses in week one of the postseason and then wins its way through to the decider. The Adelaide Football Club, tarnished again by one of its star's loose tongues, might have strengthened its relationship with a player critical to its long-term future by risking public scorn to have his back. But the Crows will be hyper-conscious of the damage to their brand corporately and fear a season they waited so long for has been derailed. The other 17 clubs - even those who will benefit from having Rankine removed from the Crows line-up - will know this entire mess could be there's to deal with next. The 25-year-old is the sixth player in the past two seasons to be suspended for a homophobic slur, there's no reason to think he's the last. The LGBT community will have a right to feel abandoned again, knowing a perceived discount was given to someone who used the most offensive language. Even the section of the footy world who believes what's said on the field should stay on the field were inflamed when the AFL revealed it had considered 'compelling medical advice' when deciding to give Rankine four games instead of the expected five. If there's anything that group dislikes more than players missing games for something they said in the heat of battle is players reportedly using the mental health card. And then you have the league itself, which was torn to shreds on Friday night. Collingwood great Tony Shaw branded the AFL 'incompetent', 'amateurish' and 'laughable'. Longtime commentator Gerard Whateley called it a 'disappointing moment from a disappointing administration'. '(AFL CEO Andrew) Dillon and his legal team should have travelled to Adelaide on Tuesday and sat with the Crows administration,' Whateley said on SEN. 'Dillon should have said the penalty is five weeks now let's hear your submissions. 'Dillon should have followed up with the penalty is five weeks now let's hear your appeal. 'And finally Dillon should have said the penalty is five weeks now let's go and front the press conference.' Former Crows player Josh Jenkins called the saga 'embarrassing all round' and Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall declared on Fox Footy 'they're almost a victim of their own wokeness … they don't want to offend anyone and in doing so they've offended everybody.' In fairness to the league there are no winners in situations like this and for anyone still fuming about the decision there's just one question to ask - what was the AFL supposed to do?
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