The Adelaide Crows have come under scrutiny for “arguing the toss at every turn” with regards to the ongoing investigation into the alleged homophobic slur delivered by Izak Rankine to a Collingwood player.
The Crows are bracing for Rankine to be dealt a season-ending suspension from the AFL, but despite expectations a decision would be made on Tuesday — as all parties involved have been spoken to — the league will continue to mull the situation until at least Thursday before determining a sanction.
Adelaide was granted “additional time to respond to the AFL’s proposed determinations”, per an AFL statement on Wednesday afternoon.
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The alleged incident occurred on Saturday night, before relevant interviews took place and submissions made on Monday.
The league is thought to be hunting a five-match ban for Rankine — which would end his season — with the Crows now in the process of readying their response.
Respected commentator and AFL 360 host Gerard Whateley called the drawn-out process “convoluted” on Wednesday night, with the saga about to enter its fourth day.
“That is an intolerably convoluted process, and it risks the AFL looking indecisive — perhaps behind the scenes they haven’t been at all, but that’s how it looks from the outside,” Whateley began on Fox Footy.
“It does make me wonder why Andrew Dillon and his legal team didn’t go to Adelaide on Tuesday, sit in the board room and stay until matters were resolved.
“I think on a public front … this is going to run all the way until game day of Round 24 — it’s a nasty story. It’s got an unsavoury edge, and some of the debate around it is it’s damaging to the code.”
Whateley expressed his belief that the Crows aren’t acting “in a contrite manner” as they continue to try for the most lenient possible suspension.
“My focus, really, is on Adelaide, who seem desperate to fight every angle of this,” he said.
“It’s not a picture of accepting responsibility and acting in a contrite manner. And they are arguing the toss at every turn, formally and informally — (making the argument) finals games should be worth more than home-and-away games, even though there’s no precedent in the system for that.
“They have gone with Rankine was provoked, which is a big stretch, I think — he was antagonised, but provoked is a big stretch.
“Informally, they’ve even raised Snoop Dogg. That’s the domain of talkback radio, not a responsible footy club.”
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Whateley said there were “three possibilities” that could have eventuated.
“Front up to what happened, pledge to address whatever it is in the environment that allowed this to happen, and accept what’s coming,” he said.
Former Demons captain Garry Lyon took a slightly different route to Whateley, suggesting the Crows were within their rights to “fight and fight hard” to get Rankine off the hook — provided they also fall on their sword and accept the forthcoming penalty when the time comes.
“It’s incumbent from a supporter’s point of view to do the best job they possibly can to see if they can get Izak back playing,” Lyon said on AFL 360.
“Now, as unsavoury as that may sound, and as you’ve pointed it out, it smacks of them not wanting to take responsibility, I think they are entitled to argue their case as vociferously and as strongly as they possibly can, given the stakes that are at play — so long as they are accepting of the final verdict and it doesn’t go too far.
“As a football club that’s sitting on top of the ladder and are premiership favourites, there is a way to deal with it. And as I said, I don’t begrudge them the right to fight and fight hard — even if that means getting in the trenches a bit — but there comes a time where you do need to show some humility and be accepting of the penalty, and that’ll come.”
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