""I don't blame Izak Rankine," Brown said. "I would never point out an individual, I would never do that, because it's more than that, it's bigger than that, it's cultural, it's systematic." "The reason why I reached out is I watched him on screen apologising for what he did after he went away and came back from overseas, and I could feel the hurt and heaviness on him," Brown continued."
""I just wanted to let him know that it's not his fault. He's not a bad person. He's still an incredible role model. I wanted him to know that. I was like, 'I need to share this with him, it may mean something.'" Brown, who said that he felt " overwhelmed by kindness" after coming out, including from his ex-wife and mother of his two sons, continued: "Most people would think I'm the radical opposite, we're the arch enemies. And I just wanted to let him know that you're still an amazing role model and don't forget that.""
Mitch Brown reached out to Izak Rankine after Rankine apologised for using a homophobic slur and receiving a four-match ban. Brown, the first AFL player to come out as bisexual, said he watched Rankine apologise on screen and felt the hurt and heaviness in him. Brown stated he does not blame Rankine, describing the issue as cultural and systematic within the sport. Brown told Rankine he is not a bad person and remains an incredible role model, urged learning from mistakes, and expressed hope that young people will own errors, stay proud, and avoid being defined by them.
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