AFL Boss Says No to Bad Words in Football

Apr 24, 2026, 06:39

Introduction

The Australian Football League (AFL) does not agree with a statement from its own Appeals Board. The Board said that bad words about race, sex, and gay people are "common" in top-level football. This problem started when the Board reduced a punishment for a player.

Main Body

The AFL Appeals Board changed a punishment for St Kilda player Lance Collard. He used a bad word about gay people during a game. The first punishment was nine weeks. The Board changed it to four weeks. The Board said the first punishment was too much. The Board wrote that "football is a hard game" and that players sometimes use bad words. They also said the other player was not angry about the word. The Board talked about Collard''s age (21) and his difficult past. Many people were angry about the Board''s decision. Former player Kate McCarthy said the decision was "baffling" and "disgusting." AFL Chief Executive Andrew Dillon then spoke. He said the AFL "strongly rejects" the idea that bad words are common. He said "homophobia has no place in Australian football." He said the AFL wanted a 10-week punishment for Collard.

Conclusion

The AFL leaders and the Appeals Board have different ideas now. The AFL says it will punish bad words strictly. But the Appeals Board said bad words are common and that this is important for punishments.

Vocabulary Learning

agree
To have the same idea as someone else同意
Example:I agree with my friend about the movie.
angry
Feeling mad or upset生氣
Example:She was angry when she lost her keys.
common
Something that happens often or is usual常見的
Example:Rain is common in spring.
place
A space or location where something is地方
Example:This park is a nice place to play.
punishment
Something you must do because you did something wrong懲罰
Example:His punishment was to clean the room.

Sentence Learning

The Australian Football League (AFL) does not agree with a statement from its own Appeals Board.
This sentence uses the present simple tense 'does not agree' to describe a current situation.本句使用現在簡單時態 'does not agree' 來描述一個當前的狀況。
The Board said that bad words about race, sex, and gay people are 'common' in top-level football.
This sentence uses the past tense 'said' to report a previous statement, and 'that' introduces the reported clause.本句使用過去時態 'said' 來報告一個先前的陳述，並使用 'that' 引導出被報告的子句。
The AFL Appeals Board changed a punishment for St Kilda player Lance Collard.
This sentence uses the past simple tense 'changed' to describe a completed action.本句使用過去簡單時態 'changed' 來描述一個已經完成的動作。
Many people were angry about the Board's decision.
This sentence uses the past tense 'were' (past of 'are') with the adjective 'angry' to describe a feeling.本句使用過去時態 'were'（'are' 的過去式）搭配形容詞 'angry' 來描述一種感受。
The AFL says it will punish bad words strictly.
This sentence uses the present tense 'says' and the future tense 'will punish' to talk about a future action.本句使用現在時態 'says' 以及未來時態 'will punish' 來談論一個未來的行動。