Pies coach won’t ‘demonise’ Rankine… but concedes AFL industry has been ‘slow to the party’

Collingwood coach Craig McRae says he won’t “demonise” Adelaide star Izak Rankine, but insists the AFL industry must ensure its workplace is safe for all people.

McRae’s comments on Wednesday came as the AFL Integrity Unit continues to ponder a sanction for Rankine, who’s being investigated for allegedly using a homophobic slur towards a Collingwood player during Saturday night’s Crows-Magpies clash at Adelaide Oval.

Magpies players post-game were aware of the term used before representatives from the two clubs had talks on Sunday, leading to a league-led investigation.

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All parties have been spoken to this week — with an expectation Rankine, based on precedent, will receive a suspension that’ll end his season — but the league, as of Wednesday morning, has yet to finalise a punishment.

Asked about the situation on Wednesday, McRae told reporters: “We’re process driven in terms of what we can control. There’s a process in place that the AFL have got involved in that.

“I think as an industry we’ve been slow to the party, but we just don’t want to accept these behaviours in our workplace. I think no one wants that in their workplace – and the AFL industry is no different.”

Asked if the Magpies player on the end of the slur was OK, McRae said: “Yeah I think so. We had a good chat over the weekend and then again over Monday morning to check back in. It’s about making sure our players are safe.

“But also I don’t want to demonise Izak either. Everyone’s allowed to make mistakes. The young lad seems like a really respectful young man and he’s made an error.

“The AFL will take their own course on that, but you’re allowed to make mistakes too, so we respect that.”

McRae wouldn’t buy in to allegations Rankine’s slur was sparked by a comment from Collingwood defender Dan Houston, whose bump on Rankine during a 2024 Showdown cost the ex-Power player a five-week ban.

“I don’t want to have ‘he said, she said’ stuff. The reality is we’re all really comfortable with what we want our workplace to look like and these things step over the boundary line,” McRae said.

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