![\"Evans](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/09c16d999feb1c3d5bfd3c4704d36824d68fd4f0.jpg\")
Camera IconEvans in action for Brisbane\u2019s VFL side. Credit: Rob Lawson\/AFL Photos<\/p>\nFormer Perth Demon turned Brisbane forward Koby Evans has been handed a four-match ban for the use of a homophobic slur.<\/p>\n
Evans was cited for using a slur during the Lions\u2019 VFL match against Coburg last weekend.<\/p>\n
His sanction was reduced from the standard five weeks because he self-reported, with Evans saying he was \u201cextremely remorseful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy language was totally unacceptable; I\u2019m disappointed in myself, and apologise to the LGBTQI+ community and our club,\u201d Evans said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew as soon as it came out of my mouth, that I\u2019d made a bad mistake and this language is unacceptable on or off the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taken at pick 38 in last year\u2019s national draft, Evans is yet to make his AFL debut. He put together his best performance at VFL level against Coburg but will now miss the next month.<\/p>\n
Lions chief executive Sam Graham said there was no place for homophobic language in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur club is committed to being an inclusive environment where everyone feels respected and able to belong, including players, staff, members and fans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Camera IconEvans in action for Brisbane\u2019s VFL side. Credit: Rob Lawson\/AFL Photos<\/p>\n
\u201cKoby has addressed his teammates and through this situation has been upfront with the club and AFL about this matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recognise that Koby is at the beginning of his career and we will work with him to provide the necessary support and education to ensure he understands the impact words can have on people.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to his sanction, Evans will undertake LGBTQI+ inclusion education.<\/p>\n
AFL chief operating officer Tom Harley said homophobia has absolutely no place in the league.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur players have a very clear understanding of what is acceptable on the football field and in society. Koby self-reported this incident and has taken ownership of his mistake both privately and publicly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is extremely disappointing to be dealing with another incident of this nature. While we will always examine the individual circumstances, we cannot be more clear that respect and inclusion are not optional in our game – they are fundamental.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is the eighth incident the AFL has dealt with over the past three years.<\/p>\n
The sanction follows the protracted saga over St Kilda forward Lance Collard, who was originally handed a seven-week suspension for a homophobic slur, but it was sensationally reduced to two weeks following an appeal.<\/p>\n
The fallout saw the AFL remove the chair of the Appeals Board, Will Houghton KC, rejecting his claim that homophobic, sexist or racist language is commonplace in the game.<\/p>\n
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon released a stinging statement rejecting the findings of the board.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s be clear: homophobia has no place in Australian football. Not at any level. Not under any circumstances,\u201d Dillon said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the AFL\u2019s view, stronger action was not only warranted – it was necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will not accept, excuse or normalise behaviour and language that demeans, discriminates or vilifies people based on who they are.<\/p>\n
Collard received a six-week ban for the same offence in 2024.<\/p>\n
Adelaide star Izak Rankine was banned for four games last season for a homophobic slur that saw him miss the Crows\u2019 finals series.<\/p>\n
At the time, Dillon said there was compelling medical evidence that resulted in a reduced sentence, though he did not go into detail.<\/p>\n
Untried Sydney defender Riak Andrew (five matches) and West Coast player Jack Graham (four) were also suspended last season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former Perth Demon turned Brisbane forward Koby Evans has been handed a four-match ban for the use of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6581,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[77,99,408,261],"class_list":{"0":"post-6580","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brisbane","8":"tag-afl","9":"tag-brisbane","10":"tag-brisbane-lions","11":"tag-sport"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6580"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6580\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}