Gillon McLachlan explains why no AFL player has come out as gay despite teams knowing their secret

The AFL is lagging behind all other sports in the country when it comes to openly gay players and now CEO Gil McLachlan has revealed the reason why. 

Ian Roberts was the first – and to date only – openly gay player in the NRL, while the A-League has Andy Brennan and Josh Cavallo.

Isaac Humphries became the first NBL player to come out in 2022 while former Wallaby Dan Palmer was the first male Aussie rugby union player to announce he was gay. 

Australian cricket players Megan Schutt, Heather Graham and Jess Jonassen are just some of the stars who are open about their sexuality.

The AFLW also has numerous openly gay players with champion Erin Phillips the most prominent, but the AFL remains one of the only codes in Australia without an out and proud star.

McLachlan said there are several gay AFL players who are known to their teammates but there is a major reason why they haven’t gone public

AFLW star Erin Phillips (left) and wife Tracey Phillips pose at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Annual Induction and Awards Gala Dinner

McLachlan said the reason that players are not coming out, even if their sexual preference is is well known in the locker room, is because of the weight and pressure of being the first.  

‘I am very comfortable there are gay male players and I am very comfortable [in saying] they are known to their teammates,’ he said at a Leadership Matters lunch in Perth on Monday.

‘What they are choosing is to not be the first person.

‘The female cohort [AFLW] came out at once, they had safety in numbers, there was no first.

‘So the pressure and the weight on that person being the first AFL player who comes out and plays as an out gay man, I think that weight, frankly I can understand why they would choose not to have to carry that burden around for ever.

‘And I don’t think they need to and I think people should live their lives how they want to live it.’

Ian Roberts played for Manly, Souths and the Cowboys in the NRL and to date is the only openly gay player from the men’s first grade competition

Ian Roberts came out 27 years ago, but to this day no other NRL player has followed his lead.

He has expressed his disappointment on many occasions that other gay players felt they couldn’t make their sexuality public.

‘I know there are people who are playing that are struggling with their sexuality … it’s not for me to judge them because I know it’s such a big decision,’ he told the Daily Telegraph in 2018.

‘I don’t lie when I say I wish there had been someone else (to come out).

‘I think it would be a very naive thing to assume there are currently no gay players in the NRL.’

Megan Schutt of Australia, wife Jess and daughter Rylee celebrate with the trophy after Australia won the 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup

Josh Cavallo of the Adelaide United A-League Men’s team wants to see more gay players come out in other sporting codes in Australia

Earlier this year Adelaide United’s Cavallo pleaded with other codes to create a space where players could feel comfortable with their sexuality.

‘There are definitely sports where there are people that are waiting to come out,’ he said.

‘I’m in touch with many.

‘They don’t have that space where it’s friendly or they feel they can continue their sport after coming out.’

The AFLW has a designated Pride Round, but the AFL currently does not have a similar initiative.

In 2022, the Sydney and St Kilda men’s teams participated in a ‘Pride Game’ at the SCG. The Swans had already started this tradition in 2015.

Sydney AFLW general manager Kate Mahony said recently that the women’s and men’s programs at the club were very accepting environments.

‘It’s just about having an environment where everyone feels really comfortable being themselves,’ Mahony said.