Just yesterday, we predicted that 30-year-old, Mormon-raised, Australian professional rugby player Israel Folau wouldn’t face any consequences for recently telling his his 330,000+ Instagram followers that “hell awaits … homosexuals.” Looks like we were wrong.
In a joint statement, Rugby Australia and New South Wales Rugby (the organizing bodies that employ Folau and oversee his team, the New South Wales Waratahs) announced that it will terminate Folau’s contract for his anti-gay rant.
Furthermore, Australia’s National Rugby League Commission chairman Peter Beattie said that Folau won’t be welcome on any national team ever again, meaning that he’ll have to move out of the country if he wants to continue his brand of homophobic athleticism.
Rugby Australia and New South Wales Rugby wrote:
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“Rugby Australia and the New South Wales Rugby Union have made repeated attempts to contact Israel both directly and via his representatives since 6.30pm on Wednesday, and at this point he has failed to communicate directly with either organization.
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. We want to make it clear that he does not speak for the game with his recent social media posts.
Israel has failed to understand that the expectation of him as a Rugby Australia and NSW Waratahs employee is that he cannot share material on social media that condemns, vilifies or discriminates against people on the basis of their sexuality.
Rugby is a sport that continuously works to unite people. We want everyone to feel safe and welcome in our game and no vilification based on race, gender, religion or sexuality is acceptable and no language that isolates, divides or insults people based on any of those factors can be tolerated.
As a code we have made it clear to Israel formally and repeatedly that any social media posts or commentary that is in any way disrespectful to people because of their sexuality will result in disciplinary action.
In the absence of compelling mitigating factors, it is our intention to terminate his contract.”
The LGBTQ sports blog Outsports notes that Folau’s comments violated Rugby Australia’s 2014 inclusion policy which states, “There is no place for homophobia or any form of discrimination in our game and our actions and words both on and off the field must reflect this.”
But Folau’s most recent anti-gay comment was one of several throughout his career.
Just this week, when the Australian region of Tasmania passed legal protections for trans people, Folau tweeted, “The devil has blinded so many people in this world, REPENT and turn away from your evil ways. Turn to Jesus Christ who will set you free.”
During his 29th birthday, Folau said on Instagram that God’s plan for gay people was “HELL… Unless they repent of their sins and turn to God.” During Australia’s public postal plebiscite on same-sex marriage, Folau tweeted, “I love and respect all people for who they are and their opinions. but personally, I will not support gay marriage.”
That same year, Folau doubled-down on his anti-gay comments in an 11-minute video which showed footage of a Pride march and the White House lit in rainbow colors. The video stated, “Now is the time to get right with God because this generation has lost the fear of God. There’s no fear of God left in the land.”
When Folau was criticized for his anti-gay comments, he responded, “This is not about money or bargaining power or contracts. It’s about what I believe in and never compromising that, because my faith is far more important to me than my career and always will be.”
Now that his sports career is more or less over in Australia, he’ll have lots of time to consider the importance of his faith.
You can also start counting down until an anti-LGBTQ group holds him up as a martyr to “the intolerant left.”
Chrisk
Yes I see one career has ended but another one has just started. He’s definitely going to be the new persecution boy right along with the Bingham brothers.
The religion loons are like pigs in slop when it comes to that crap.
DCguy
And remember, the exact same anti-LGBT trolls that defend Chik Fil Et’s “Freedom” to donate to hate groups that promote violence against LGBTs will scream that Rugby Australia doesn’t have the “Freedom” to fire somebody who harms their bottom line.
Wicked Dickie
Operative word there is Mormon raised. The same religion founded by a guy that had 8 wives and believed in polygamy.
draven
The forces of nature have took care of this. He should have known better to put that negative energy out there. It came back at him. Swiftly. Wow. Sometimes it best to just watch and wait.
jcoberkrom
It’s about time!!! Oh, he’ll play the victim because he can’t face the consequences of his actions.
David
Anyone else getting the whole “look how straight I am … I bash gays” closet case vibe?
Hussain-TheCanadian
I’m getting the “he likes @ss play vibe” and hates himself for it, so has to talk repeatedly about “the gays” while supposedly liking p@ssy, which begs the question P@ssy man: “Why are you talking about the gays so much?”.
enlightenone
Of course, it was my first thought and it hasn’t changed. I can’t imagine Jesus talking like that!
Curtispsf
Don’t let the door hit your arse on the way out.
redzebra1
Well hip-hip hooray, and don’t stumble on your way out dearie!
nobeast
It is very disappointing to see that the prominent Australian male model, Charlie Kennedy, supports this homophobic Bigot on social media, Instagram. I think we should all let his Agencies know what we think about his support of homophobia and hate speech.
aussiechef
What is even more disappointing is the Sydney based shock jock Alan Jones coming out in Felau’s defence. All the more shocking when you understand Jones is himself a gay man. (But is on the board of Rugby League Australia)
Chrisk
No one’s stopping him from saying whatever the fuc* he wants. These morons seem to think that it should also come without consequences.
timucua
Don’t you mean Matt Kennedy, the Australian Rules Football player?.
mattpj71
This closet case, religious nut job is going to be very dangerous for the LGBTQ+ community for the next few years..just watch. He has very cleverly orchestrated himself to be a victimized martyr that the loony bible thumpers love by cherry picking the much loved bible quotes that will gain him an even greater pedestal to stand on once the inevitable backlash against his comments start flooding in. Furthermore, by getting himself sacked from a multi-million dollar contract (for handling pig skin-sin!!) he will also get the sympathy of the thick headed window lickers who do not understand or care about said closet cases tweets..who will of course start screeching about the end of free speech!! Until the eventual time when this idiot has been dragged kicking and screaming out of his transparent closet, he will cause a lot of pain and hurt to a lot of people..mark my words. He will be leading a church before you know it, probably with Margaret Court looking approvingly from the sidelines and also giving him guidance. I wonder if he will get a tattoo (sin) to commemorate this stage of his life while wearing clothes cut from different cloth (sin), then go and kick a pig skin football around (sin) on a Sunday (sin)?
Chrisk
Google his body pics. He’s got tattoos all over himself.
Leviticus 19:28, ”You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you.
StupidBoy
I know many, many hot, young, firm, tattooed Christian boys who sit around at work on Sundays and eat bacon-wrapped scallops and quote the one and ONLY Old-Testament verse that applies: Leviticus 18:22.
Blond, ripped, tanned, gun-toting, four-wheelin’, beer-drinkin’ Jesus forgave all the other sins.
Don’t be hypocritical, you heathen!
hansniemeijer
Scrum YES, scum NO. Good Christians know that God loves everybody.
draven
This guy is creepy. He probably had dL gay sex and now regrets it. He ate his words. Please go away. Thanks.