Adelaide star Izak Rankine remains committed to making amends for the homophobic slur he directed at Collingwood's Isaac Quaynor six months ago.
The incident resulted in a four-week suspension on the eve of the 2025 finals series, forcing Rankine to watch from the sidelines as the minor premier Crows were bundled out in straight sets.
Appearing on the Tommy Talks podcast, Rankine admitted he was at his lowest point and even considered quitting the game; however, he has chosen to stay and remains committed to making things right.
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"You have to go real, real low to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and really self-reflect and make some adjustments and bounce back," he told host Tommy Sheridan.
"I was in a very, very dark, very, very low place, but then again, that belief in me was, 'You are going to bounce back, you are going to be better, you aren't a bad person, you can still come out and do the best you can, this isn't going to define you'.
"The turning point was being at the bottom and thinking, 'What else?'. I can either just sit here, wave the white flag and give up.
"Because I wanted to retire, I wanted to finish, and I was like, 'I don't want to do this anymore, I'm done'.
"You want to give up, you want to retire, you know depression, and the thing is that I was already dealing with that stuff through my family and the circumstances that I was given.
"So it was very tough to be hit again and then sat on my arse a bit."
The 25-year-old reflected on the impact of the incident, noting its weight not only on himself but on the wider football world.
"That was tough, having to deal with family issues, being one of the leaders in my community and being looked up to for things and expected to be in places and show your face and just look after everyone in the community," he said.
"It was tough and then to be put on your arse like that… and you start to question who you are, and you start to question what you've been doing and how you've been acting and who you've been hanging around with and what has been really going on."
Following the incident and an apology to Quaynor, Rankine was sent to Italy to escape the intense media spotlight in Australia and was ordered by the AFL to complete mandatory inclusivity and education training.
Upon returning to Adelaide, the forward insisted there was no excuse for his behaviour and, despite the steps already taken, admits there is still significant work to do — a task he is determined to see through.
"I am sorry to anyone I affected or caused havoc to, I never meant to do that," Rankine said.
"All I can say is that I put my hand up and let's move forward together because we are on the same side, we are on the same team."
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