Former AFL player and bisexual icon Mitch Brown called out Geelong midfielder Bailey Smith labelling him “homophobic” after a social media post referencing the film Brokeback Mountain during the Cats’ Mad Monday celebrations.
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The fallout comes just two days after Geelong’s Grand Final loss to Brisbane, with the team gathering at the Wharf Shed in Geelong to mark the end of their season.
Smith appeared in a series of Instagram posts from the event, dressed as Brad Pitt’s character from the 1994 film Legends of the Fall. In one image, he stood next to Patrick Dangerfield, who was dressed as a cowboy character from Yellowstone. Smith captioned the post: “Or Brokeback Mountain, depends how ya look at it.”
Dangerfield had his arm around Smith in the photo, with Smith later adding: “This is what losing a granny does to ya. Alright, phone away now. Bye.”
While the players were not dressed as characters from Brokeback Mountain, the caption caught the attention of Brown — who made history in August as the AFL’s first openly bisexual player.
Mitch Brown responds to Bailey Smith
Taking to Instagram, Brown first shared a photo of the late Australian actor Heath Ledger, who starred in the Oscar-winning film.
“Just for the record, Heath Ledger’s way hotter,” he wrote.
But in a second post, Brown took aim more directly at Smith’s caption. “In all seriousness though, guys do better. Last time I checked, losing a grand final doesn’t make you gay, but being homophobic definitely makes you a loser.”
Brown has previously urged the AFL to do more around inclusivity and education on homophobia.
“I think when you use gay and bisexual men and their experiences as a punchline, you should know that you’re punching down, especially when you’re in sport, said Pride Cup CEO, Hayley Conway to the ABC.
“Those words have an enormous impact on the young men who are seeing it, any people who are in or around the club who might identify as LGBTIQ, and of course everyone involved in the sport.”
Bailey Smith makes dig at journalist Caroline Wilson amid ongoing tension
Smith also sparked criticism earlier in the day over a separate incident involving Caroline Wilson. His Geelong teammate Max Holmes arrived dressed as the veteran journalist, wearing a black wig and red dress along with a bow and arrow — a nod to Wilson’s Caro’s Arrow TV segment.
Smith shared a photo of himself with Holmes, captioning it: “Caro has never looked better,” alongside the droplets emoji. The image was quickly deleted, though another was later uploaded featuring Holmes still in the Wilson costume, giving the camera the middle finger.
The posts follow recent tension between Wilson and Smith, after she accused him of verbally abusing Geelong Advertiser photographer Alison Wynd during training earlier this month. Speaking on 3AW at the time, Wilson described him as a “brat” and said his behaviour was “really disappointing”.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to the Geelong Cats, Brown and Smith for comment.
Lead image: Instagram
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