Written by Rugby League star, Israel Folau has upset the LGBTQIA community and contravened the inclusive stance of Rugby Australia in his 2019 social media comment that “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolators” would meet their end in hell. This public declaration saw his contract torn up and his ejection from the club and the code. He also famously and insensitively claimed that the catastrophic bushfires were God’s punishment for legalising abortion and same-sex marriage.
His former UK club is threatening to sue for $200 000 in compensation for breach of contract as it has been revealed that Folau plans a comeback to rugby league in Australia. The Catalans Dragons had offered Folau a contract and salvaged his career after Rugby Australia dumped him following the infamous Instagram rant. Catalans’s President, Bernard Guasch has declared Folau to be still bound by contract to the Dragons. The Australian team, the St. George Illawarra Dragons, were lobbying Rugby Australia to permit him to join their team in a generous 2-year, $1 million contract. They abandoned the idea however choosing to distance themselves from the controversy surrounding the 31-year-old. This news was welcomed by many stakeholders in the code, including Ian Roberts, rugby league’s first openly gay player. The question put to the Illawarra Dragons, how do you justify associating with Folau and be still aligned to the club’s own policies on diversity and inclusion? In fact, Rugby Australia (ARLC) chairman, Peter V’landys was adamant in his 2019 statement that Folau’s comments were in direct conflict with the inclusiveness of the game. The NRL was congratulated in 2018 for having the highest ranking in the ‘Pride in Sport’ index, earned by its support of the LGBTQIA community. Interestingly, Folau had declared during a church service in 2019 that he avoided ‘temptation’ by refusing to be drawn back into a contract on the provision that he deleted his inflammatory social media posts.
In now joining the Queensland team, the Southport Tigers Folau has already had to field awkward questioning about his ability to handle the ritual singing of the club’s team song which, in yet another display of inappropriateness, refers to ‘lesbians’ in a derogatory and suggestive manner. The ‘buzz’ from inside the Tigers camp is that they will not stop singing their song just because Folau is to wear the team colours. Folau was prepared for heavy questioning at the May 21st press conference but was visibly rattled when the conversation turned to the song and how he planned to handle it.
The overarching question is what does this all say about Rugby League culturally? According to Andrew Purchas, OAM co-founder of the Pride in Sport Index;
“NRL is a code that prides itself as being a sport for everyone with strong values of diversity and inclusion. History has shown that Mr Folau’s repeated failures to abide by sporting inclusion policies despite assurances.”
But the code is so willing to accept Folau back without any evidence of his conforming to this.
Is the environment incapable of allowing its players to have personal opinion while still enforcing their code of conduct in regard to making it publicly offensive? Is this truly the kind of culture that has room for the respect of religious beliefs and the diplomacy and maturity that prevents the public denigration of somebody for their sexual orientation. It makes sense that as we make our own life choices that we should also give others the freedom to make theirs.
NRL 2021: ‘Lesbian’ issue around Israel Folau’s return bid (yahoo.com)
Rugby Australia and Israel Folau settle legal dispute over sacking – ABC News
Israel Folau remains standing as other players kneels on Super League’s return – CNN