Tribunal Unable to Reach Verdict After Nearly Four Hours in Lance Collard’s Alleged Homophobic Slur Hearing

The AFL tribunal has been unable to reach a conclusion regarding the alleged homophobic slur by Lance Collard following a lengthy hearing that lasted three hours and 30 minutes.

Collard’s case had a deadline of 5pm (AEST), and the tribunal could not finalise its decision in time, as written reasons also needed to be submitted by that deadline.

“We are making good progress in our discussions and deliberations, but we’re not yet in a place to disclose our findings. We will reconvene tomorrow to continue our discussions and are optimistic we will be able to provide a brief written explanation by then,” stated tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson.

Collard has maintained that he used the term ‘maggot’ and has issued a statutory declaration affirming his honesty.

“I approached him [Hipwell] and said, ‘come here, maggot’,” Collard explained.

“I understand they believe I’ve used the word f—–t, which I’ve said before, but I admitted it at that time. However, I did not use that word this time.

“I signed an oath [statutory declaration] this week declaring that I’m being completely truthful. I acknowledged what I did last time and expressed remorse.

“I would not repeat that mistake.”

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