Mitch Brown, the first out bisexual player in the AFL (Australian Football League), has said he ‘doesn’t blame’ Izak Rankine for his use of a homophobic slur earlier this year. Adelaide Crows star Izak Rankine received a four-match ban (after initially receiving a five-match suspension) following the use of a homophobic slur in a 16 August AFL game against Collingwood Football Club. Speaking on The Imperfects podcast, Brown revealed that he “doesn’t blame” Rankine for the use of the slur, instead pointing to a larger culture of homophobia in the sport. “I don’t blame Izak Rankine,” Brown said. “I would never point out an individual, I would never do that, because it’s more than that, it’s bigger than that, it’s cultural, it’s systematic.” “The reason why I reached out is I watched him on screen apologising for what he did after he went away and came back from overseas, and I could feel the hurt and heaviness on him,” Brown continued. “I just wanted to let him know that it’s not hi...