AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has defended the decision to enlist Snoop Dogg as the performer at the upcoming grand final, amid concerns around his past homophobic comments in the wake of multiple players being suspended for using the f-slur.
ICYMI, Izak Rankine — who plays for the Adelaide Crows — was most recently dealt a four-match suspension after the AFL Integrity Unit found he used the f-slur slur during his team’s game against the Collingwood Magpies over the weekend.
In a statement, the AFL said Rankine was “ordered to undertake further Pride In Sport training” in addition to the ban, and claimed he had called the Collingwood player to “personally apologise” for using the slur.
Unfortunately, Rankine is one of six AFL players to be suspended in the past two seasons for using a homophobic slur during a match, with West Coast Eagles player Jack Graham likewise copping a four-match ban for using the same term last month.
Now, Dillon is facing questions for the decision to host Snoop Dogg for the grand final next month, given the rapper’s previous homophobic lyrics and how his performance will coincide with the end of Rankine’s four-match ban.
Snoop Dogg used the f-slur in his 1998 song “Doggz Gonna Get Ya”, and later drew criticism in 2014 when he posted and deleted an image of two men with the caption “go suck ya man n get off my line f. A. G.”, per The Sydney Morning Herald.
“We cannot vouch for every lyric, in every song, ever written or performed, by any artist who has or will appear on our stage,” Dillion said while addressing the controversy on Thursday (per The Daily Telegraph).
He went on to assure fans that Snoop Dogg’s performance would be “family friendly” and “consistent with” the audience at the game and watching at home, before saying the musician has “changed” since his homophobic comments.
“We have engaged Snoop Dogg in 2025 as the person he is today,” Dillon said.
“He has spoken publicly about his past, he has changed, and today he is a grandfather [and a] philanthropist, he helps rehabilitate youth, and he’s a global entertainer.”
Dillon also touted Snoop Dogg’s previous performances at the 2022 Super Bowl and the 2024 Olympic Games, saying that in “those environments, his performances were appropriate and well received”.
Elsewhere, Dillon said Rankine’s comments during the game on the weekend were “not acceptable” and that he is “paying a significant price” for using the slur.
Rankine, meanwhile, said in a statement that his behaviour “does not reflect my values or those of the club”.
“I regret using the word and I am very sorry for doing so, and that type of language has no place in football or the community.”
It is the second time the AFL’s choice of grand final performer has drawn controversy in as many years, with Katy Perry’s 2024 headlining slot spurring calls for her to be replaced by a local act.
