Former West Coast Eagles player Mitch Brown has become the first man in the Australian Football League’s 129-year history to publicly identify as bisexual. Brown, 36, made the disclosure in an interview published by The Daily Aus on Wednesday, saying he played “10 years in the AFL … and I’m a bisexual man.” Brown, who appeared in 94 matches for the Eagles between 2007 and 2016, said a culture of “hyper-masculinity” and frequent homophobic comments kept him from speaking while he was on the list. He added that the weight of hiding his sexuality contributed to his early retirement and hopes his decision will create “safety, comfort and space” for other players to be open about their identities. His announcement follows heightened scrutiny of on-field language. Last week Adelaide Crows forward Izak Rankine received a four-match suspension for a homophobic slur, the sixth such case in 16 months. Brown said that incident spurred him to step forward and call for structural, not just disciplinary, change across the league. The AFL and the West Coast Eagles quickly endorsed Brown’s move. League chief executive Andrew Dillon called it “an important moment for our entire game,” while the Eagles praised the former defender’s leadership. Advocacy groups say the milestone could accelerate efforts to combat discrimination in one of Australia’s most watched sports.