Justin Sherman may have copped a four-week AFL ban for racial abuse but ex-Brisbane Lions teammate Jonathan Brown reckons the shame will "stick with him forever".

In the fallout over Sherman's case, the Lions captain has also called for spectators to be banned for life if found guilty of racially vilifying AFL players.

Sherman was slapped with a month-long suspension and fined $5000 for abusing Nigerian-born Gold Coast debutant Joel Wilkinson on the weekend.

But Brown believed that would be the least of Sherman's problems after becoming the first player in 12 years to be banned for breaching the league's racial and religious vilification policy.

"While he will suffer the punishment of missing the next four games, he'll no doubt be more concerned with how his comments have deeply affected others - that will probably stick with him forever," Brown wrote on the Lions website.

"There's absolutely no place for racial vilification in football.

"You would think that with all the progress society has made over the past decade that it would have been stamped out long ago.

"But you keep hearing about instances of it rearing its ugly head both in the AFL and in local competitions."

Brown was surprised to hear that Sherman - in his first year at the Bulldogs - had abused the Suns teenager.

"He mentioned at a press conference that 'it was completely out of his character' to use racial remarks and I would have to agree," said Brown, who played six seasons alongside Sherman.

"Shermo's definitely not the type of person who you'd ever expect would be involved in racial abuse."

Brown said racial abuse by spectators would be difficult to police but believed they should have the book thrown at them when caught.

"Instances involving players are pretty rare these days and can be dealt with pretty effectively by the AFL and the clubs," he said.

"But it's harder to sanction those idiots in the stands who still think it's OK to yell out racial remarks.

"I reckon a ban for life is the way to go."

Brown said he was disgusted by the recent spate of abuse aimed at indigenous players including Hawthorn superstar Lance Franklin.

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