Former West Coast Eagle Mitch Brown has become the first-ever AFL player to come out publicly as bisexual.

In a landmark interview, Brown — who played 94 games for the Eagles between 2007 and 2016 — revealed his sexuality played a “huge” factor in his decision to retire.

“I played in the AFL for 10 years for the West Coast Eagles and I’m a bisexual man,” he told The Daily Aus.

Brown opened up on the weight that came with hiding his sexuality at the club and homophobia in the AFL, with the hope his decision could make others feel more comfortable coming out.

The public revelation comes against the backdrop of a spate of homophobic incidents in the league. Adelaide’s Izak Rankine was banned for four weeks for using a homophobic slur towards a Collingwood opponent a fortnight ago.

Brown said bisexuality is often misunderstood.

“Your sexuality, or being queer, for a man, only means you’re either gay or you’re not. There’s no in-between,” he said.

“Bisexuality (is believed to be) not a thing, it’s (seen as) made up to cover gay men or straight-presenting gay men.

“There’s a lot of assumptions out there... being a bisexual man can look different and it does look different.”

No AFL player has ever come out as queer before, and former league chief executive Gillon McLachlan told The West Australian’s Leadership Matters event in 2023 there was a “pressure” and a “weight” in being the first.

“I’m in this position strong and comfortable to, as Gil McLachlan says, take the burden. And if someone needed to do it, I’m in the space to do it,” Brown said.

“I don’t believe that this is about me. It’s not about Mitch Brown being the first at all. For me, it’s about sharing my experience so others can feel seen.”

Brown has previously been married to former Australian netballer Shae Brown and is in a current relationship with a female partner.

“In the locker room and in the spas, the chats were all geared around ‘who did everyone pick up on the weekend’? Or, you know, ‘she’s pretty hot’,” he said.

“It was never once an opportunity to speak openly or explore your feelings or questions in a safe way.

“I remember two people have a conversation around how they would feel having a shower next to a gay man and one of the players said ‘I’d rather be in a cage full of lions than have a shower next to a gay man’.

“There’s been so many times in my life that I’ve seen things or heard things and not said anything, in fear of people thinking that I was gay or bisexual.”

Brown said he had been approached around extending his career, but said he wanted to spend time meeting new people and exploring new conversations.

“I got to the end of my career and I was asked to play on for a couple more years and I was over it, I was done,” he said.

“One of the biggest reasons I wanted to finish up playing AFL was to meet new people, to meet a diverse range of people, men and women, different cultural backgrounds, and I craved new conversations.

“I craved talking to someone and not being judged. I craved the ability to choose who I wanted to be around rather than fit into a team.”