Former AFL player Mitch Brown calls for cultural change after Isaac Quaynor booing

Former AFL player and LGBTQIA+ advocate Mitch Brown says the culture of footy is ripe for change and more men need to call out bad behaviour after repeated booing of Collingwood's Isaac Quaynor.

A section of the Crows fans at Adelaide Oval for Thursday night's match against Collingwood could be heard booing every time Magpies defender Quaynor got the ball.

Last year, Quaynor had a homophobic slur used against him by Adelaide's Izak Rankine in a game in round 23.

Rankine received a four-match ban after an investigation by the AFL's Integrity Unit.

The ban effectively ended his season as the Crows lost their first two finals while he was suspended.

In the aftermath of Thursday's game, Crows coach Matthew Nicks was asked about the incident and the booing.

"The game, it's about entertainment, enjoyment, passion," he replied.

"The game's a passionate game, and sometimes we lose our way in that a little.

"And with the backdrop, and the background leading into this game, it's not ideal the way it played out tonight."

Brown, who last year became the first current or former AFL player to come out as bisexual, told ABC Melbourne on Friday that men needed to "stand up … use our voices and not fear calling things out."

"I look at the best leaders in Australia, and the ones that I admire are the ones that are prepared to put their hand up and say, 'We are part of a problem,'" he said.

"I was really disappointed in the response by Adelaide's coach by not just saying this is completely out of order and [not] seeing the players and coach actually stand up and say we don't want to see this [booing] as part of our game and completely reject that any player should be targeted after they were the victim of abuse.

"When you don't call something out with conviction, silence is deafening.

"And I'm sure Matthew Nicks and coaches … consider themselves strong leaders.

"They say this phrase and we've all heard it: The standards we walk by are the standards we accept."

Crows say behaviour of some fans 'crossed the line'

The Crows released a statement on Friday from club CEO Tim Silvers.

"We … strongly believe there is a line between passionate support and behaviour that falls short of our values and those of the game," he said.

"We want our people to be vocal, engaged and passionate, but to do so respectfully.

"The overwhelming majority of our members and supporters represent the club exceptionally well.

"However, the behaviour of some crossed the line last night. Put simply, it was inappropriate and not good enough.

"Respect for all players, coaches, officials and fellow supporters is paramount, and it is a standard we must all uphold."

The AFL Players Association condemned the actions of the section of fans, saying the game had to be safe for everyone.

"The incessant and targeted booing last night was unacceptable and should never happen," AFLPA CEO James Gallagher said.

"Targeted booing can cause significant harm to the person subjected to it. It also causes harm to others across our football community and signals that the game isn't safe for them.

"Our game must be inclusive and safe for all. Thank you to those who have shown leadership by calling it out."

The AFL also released a statement from CEO Andrew Dillon.

"AFL footy fans are some of the most passionate in world sport, and that passion is one of the things that makes our game so special," he said.

"But the targeted booing last night should not have happened and is not what we want to see in our game.

"We see the best of our fans every single week at matches across the country as they cheer, barrack and support their respective clubs, however, what we saw last night at Adelaide Oval fell well short of that."