The Gold Coast Suns have confirmed that ruckman Max Knobel is under investigation by the AFL Integrity Unit following an alleged homophobic slur during Saturday's VFL match against the Brisbane Lions at People's First Stadium.
7NEWS understands that the 21-year-old made a comment directed at a Brisbane Lions opponent in the Round 11 clash. A Suns spokesperson stated: "The Gold Coast Suns are aware of an incident involving one of its players in Saturday's VFL match against the Brisbane Lions. The club is currently cooperating fully with the AFL's Integrity Unit as part of an ongoing investigation."
The AFL also confirmed it was looking into the matter. "We have been made aware of a matter arising from the VFL Round 11 match between the Gold Coast Suns and Brisbane Lions, which has been referred to the AFL Integrity Unit," an AFL spokesperson told 7NEWS.
Based on recent precedent, Knobel is facing a potential four or five-match suspension if found guilty. Last month, Brisbane's Koby Evans received a four-match penalty for a similar homophobic slur in a VFL match. This came just weeks after St Kilda's Lance Collard was handed a two-match ban (with an additional two matches suspended) for his second such incident in three years. Collard had previously been suspended for six matches in 2024.
Since the start of 2024, a total of five other AFL players have been sanctioned for homophobic slurs. These include Port Adelaide's Jeremy Finlayson (three matches), Adelaide's Izak Rankine (four), West Coast's Jack Graham (four), Sydney's Riak Andrew (five), and Gold Coast's Wil Powell (five).
Max Knobel, the son of former Brisbane, St Kilda, and Richmond ruckman Trent Knobel, was originally drafted by Fremantle in 2022. After being delisted at the end of 2024 with a view to being re-listed by the Dockers, he was instead picked up by the Suns ahead of the 2025 season.
