Buddy Franklin leaps to the defence of teammate whose girlfriend snuck in to coronavirus quarantine hub for an eight-hour rendezvous and lashes the racist trolls attacking him
- Buddy Franklin slammed the racist trolls who attacked Swans rookie Elijah Taylor
- Taylor was suspended for the rest of the AFL season over a biosecurity breach
- His girlfriend Lekahni Pearce snuck into the Swans quarantine hub to see him
- Taylor became the victim of vicious racial abuse on his Instagram on Tuesday
- Both the Swans and the AFL have said there is no place for racism in the game
AFL superstar Lance 'Buddy' Franklin has come out in support of Elijah Taylor after the Sydney Swans young gun was targeted by racist trolls.
The 33-year-old blasted keyboard warriors who made vile comments about the rookie midfielder online ahead of the AFL's Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round.
Taylor has come under fire and been suspended for the remainder of the season after his girlfriend Lekahni Pearce snuck into the Swans quarantine hub last Friday.
Franklin said he was disappointed with Taylor's actions, but would not accept any racists remarks being made towards him.
Buddy Franklin (pictured) has slammed the racist trolls who attacked Swans rookie Elijah Taylor
'Like everyone at the club I’m incredibly disappointed in Elijah’s selfish actions, they were unacceptable and I understand everyone’s anger,' Franklin told News Corp.
'But the racist comments directed at him are unacceptable. There is and never will be an excuse for racism.'
Franklin took the 19-year-old into his home after he moved from Western Australia last year and presented Taylor with his first Swans jersey before his debut in July.
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The 300-game veteran said the AFL must not tolerate racial taunts to players at any time.
'This week is really special for Indigenous players with Indigenous Round – it’s about celebrating culture. As a society we need to call out racism and make it clear that we will not tolerate it, and we will not be silent on it,' he said.
Elijah Taylor (pictured) was suspended for the rest of the AFL season after his girlfriend Lekahni Pearce snuck into the Swans quarantine hub
Lekahni Pearce (pictured) apologised for her actions on Wednesday, saying she 'made a really big mistake'
Taylor took to Instagram on Tuesday night to apologise for his actions and posted a screenshot of some of the racial abuse he had received.
'Honestly I'm extremely sorry for being selfish with my actions I know what I've done not only affected me and the players but many others that all love the game,' Taylor wrote.
'I understand that a lot of people are angry but racism really doesn't fix anything.'
Both the AFL and the Swans released statements to condemn the racist trolls and offer support to Taylor.
'There is no place for racism in sport or in society – anywhere, anytime, period,' the Swans release reads.
'This was an ugly comment and it’s important that we call it out, as the individual responsible must be held to account and understand the impact of their actions.
'Elijah made a poor decision last week and is dealing with the consequences – he does not deserve to be racially abused.'
Elijah Taylor contests a mark during the Swans clash with Hawthorn at the SCG on July 25
The AFL said if the person who made the comments is a member of a club or the league they will have their membership revoked immediately.
'Our message is clear, if you are going post racists comments online at our players, then there is no place in football for you,' AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan said.
'To read the comments that Elijah has been subject to overnight is incredibly disappointing and demonstrates that we need to do so much more as a society to educate and hold racist behaviour into account.
'I want Elijah and all our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players to know that I stand with you, and our organisation’s obligation is to do whatever we can to put a stop to abuse of our people.'
Taylor was part way through a 14-day isolation period with his teammates at Perth's Joondalup Resort when Ms Pearce snuck in.
The teenager, who hadn't seen her boyfriend for two weeks, said everything initially went to plan.
'No security, I didn’t see a security guard,' Ms Pearce told 7News.
Initial reports suggested Lekahni Pearce (pictured) crossed a golf course and jumped two fences to be reunited with Taylor
Veteran AFL journalist Caroline Wilson reported Ms Pearce had crossed a golf course and jumped two fences in order to sneak into the hub.
But Ms Pearce said that wasn't the case.
'I just walked through, went to his room,' she said. 'That's how easy it was.
'I didn't jump any fences.'
Senior teammates caught Ms Pearce in Taylor's room, reportedly eight hours after she arrived, and brought the situation to the attention of Swans head of football Charlie Gardiner.
The Swans were fined $50,000 by the AFL for the breach, with $25,000 suspended.
Ms Pearce apologised for her actions on Tuesday.
'I am sorry for everything, and like, we did make a really big mistake,' she said.
The couple will avoid criminal charges under Western Australia’s emergency management act.
Acting WA police commissioner Gary Dreibergs said in Perth on Tuesday they would instead be fined.
Lekahni Pearce (pictured) said it was 'easy' to sneak in to the quarantine site as there was no security
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