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AAP
AAP
Jasper Bruce

Webster free for NBL, despite homophobic tweet ban

Corey Webster (left) will be free to play for the Perth Wildcats at the start of the NBL season. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)

Perth Wildcats guard Corey Webster is free to line up in the first game of the NBL's regular season, despite being slapped with a ban for a homophobic social media post.

Webster has already sat out one game following the incident, and will miss a second if he re-offends. 

On Sunday night, Webster responded to a post showing the LGBTQI rainbow flag and the question: "What's the first thing that comes to mind when you see this flag?".

The 34-year-old wrote "mental illness" but later deleted his comment.

Basketball Australia's integrity unit launched an investigation into the post and announced its sanctions on Thursday morning.

"Basketball Australia's integrity unit found Webster breached the Basketball Australia Code of Conduct for Elite-Level Participants pertaining to discrimination and vilification following a comment he made on social media," a statement from the NBL read.

The Wildcats stood New Zealand-born Webster down from Tuesday's pre-season match against the Adelaide 36ers following backlash to his tweet. 

Basketball Australia will permit the Wildcats to count that game for Webster's ban, with the second game only triggered if the player re-offends.

In deciding on Webster's punishment, BA took into consideration that the player had already apologised in a statement released by the club.

Webster has accepted the sanction and will be available for the Wildcats' next match of the pre-season NBL Blitz against the New Zealand Breakers on Thursday night.

He will be free to take to the court for the Wildcats' first match of the regular season, to be played against the Tasmania JackJumpers next Friday.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Fullstop Australia 1800 385 578

beyondblue 1300 22 4636

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