Rugby Australia says they are set terminate the contract of their star player Israel Folau over his posting of a homophobic social media post.
Israel Folau, Australia’s best-known player, said gays and others he perceived to be "living in sin," like “drunks,” would be condemned to hell.Toby Melville / Reuters fileRugby Australia said on Thursday it would terminate the contract of Israel Folau, the country's best-known and best-paid player, if he cannot offer a good reason for a social media post that said gay people would go to"hell" if they did not"repent".
A statement from RA Chief Executive Raelene Castle and her Waratahs equivalent Andrew Hore said they had made repeated attempts to contact Folau since he posted the comments on Wednesday."Whilst Israel is entitled to his religious beliefs, the way in which he has expressed these beliefs is inconsistent with the values of the sport," the statement added.
Folau has been all but ever-present in the Wallabies number 15 shirt since switching to rugby union from Australian Rules in 2013 and scoring two tries on his test debut against the British and Irish Lions. Folau has had previous lucrative offers to play in Europe and Japan but his stated desire to remain in Australia makes his most likely destination a move back to rugby league, a code in which he represented Australia at the start of his career.Raised as a Mormon, Folau moved to a pentecostal church in 2011 and has made no secret of his religious beliefs since.
Wednesday's post, which took the form of a meme based on verses from the bible, said gay people and others he perceived to be"living in sin," including"drunks","idolaters" and"atheists", would be condemned to hell.The post drew widespread condemnation from around the world with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern among those criticizing Folau for the way he was using"his platform.
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