Footy great Joel Selwood says it's no wonder an AFL player has never come out as gay after controversial ban for Jeremy Finlayson's homophobic slur

Geelong great Joel Selwood says it's no wonder an AFL player has never felt comfortable enough to come out as gay following the controversy over Jeremy Finlayson's homophobic slur.

Finlayson was given a three-game suspension after admitting to labelling an unnamed Essendon player with the disgraceful word in the third quarter of the Power's 69-point win against the Bombers last Friday night.

As well as missing three games, Finlayson will be required to attend a Pride In Sport training program that he will have to pay for himself.

Unlike most sporting leagues around the globe, the AFL is yet to have a player come out as gay, and Selwood isn't surprised.

Appearing on the Seven's Talking Footy on Wednesday night, the former Cats great and former Richmond skipper Trent Cotchin were asked about the situation.

'The conversation went very quickly today, well this is going to mean that an AFL player, if he was gay, will not come out now because they're worried about the environment they might find themselves in,' said Tim Watson.

'You've just stepped out of the dressing room, both of you, is that your feeling about this?'

Cotchin said he was concerned that a player hasn't felt safe enough to come out as gay in today's environment and Selwood suggested that the Finlayson situation might have made things even worse for gay players.

'I couldn't speak with any more confidence in saying [coming out would be] OK within the footy club,' Selwood said.

'But we're probably further away now because maybe people see it differently.

'That individual that may be gay within the AFL landscape of the men's program doesn't feel comfortable in that (since the Finlayson issue).'

The sanction to Finlayson has sparked anger from the AFL Players' Association who have pointed out a double standard, with North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson only being fined for a homophobic comment earlier this season.

'We believe the AFL is consistently inconsistent and there are double standards in its approach to dealing with players compared to others on behavioural matters,' AFLPA boss Paul Marsh said.

'This issue highlights the lack of clarity on how the AFL handles these situations and we want this to be the catalyst for an urgent review of the sanctioning framework.

'If this type of conduct is a three-week sanction for a player, it should be for everyone involved in the game and this should be clear to everyone in the industry upfront rather than the open-ended approach that is currently in place.'