He’s At It Again…

Oh dear, here we go again…

Back in April last year, Waratahs and Australia star Israel Folau got himself in hot water for a comment on Instagram stating that God’s plan for homosexuals was

HELL… Unless they repent of their sins and turn to God

Fast forward a year and he is at it again. His first remarks were on Twitter, where he appeared critical of Tasmania no longer legally requiring gender to be included on birth certificates, with the following tweet:

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.

He then returned to Instagram to post a picture that said:

WARNING    Drunks   Homosexuals   Adulterers   Liars   Fornicators   Thieves   Atheists   Idolaters   HELL AWAITS YOU   REPENT!   ONLY JESUS SAVES

As I mentioned at the time of his previous comments, I have no problem with freedom of speech and while I don’t share his views I will not condemn him for having them. However as one of Australia’s star players and one of the biggest names in rugby, he is a role model for so many young fans and as a result should be much more responsible as to what he posts on his social media.

I have a couple of problems with these social media comments:

• He makes these comments against homosexuals and hides behind his religion, however he has a number of tattoos, which appear to go against the bible (“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you” – Leviticus 19:28)
• If these comments were about people of colour rather than homosexuals, then there would be uproar and he would be punished instantly. Why should this be any different? Whether race or sexuality, discrimination is discrimination

Last time, the Rugby Australia chose not to punish him as he used his religion as a shield – conveniently he was nearing the end of his contract and had not yet committed to staying with the the Wallabies, so they were afraid to push him away. Following that incident, Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle said “There’s no doubt we’ve had conversations with Izzy about continuing to present his views in a respectful way. He is walking the line, we’ll continue the dialogue with him.”

Rugby Australia gave him the benefit of the doubt and now he has thrown that back in their faces with his latest comments. In a statement released earlier, they said:

Rugby Australia is aware of a post made by Israel Folau on his Instagram account this afternoon.

The content within the post is unacceptable. It does not represent the values of the sport and is disrespectful to members of the Rugby community.

The Rugby Australia integrity unit has been engaged on the matter tonight.

But how far will Rugby Australia go? In my opinion, he has had his chances and a significant ban is required – if not a ripping up of his contract. However, with the Wallabies in disarray and the World Cup just around the corner, will they be willing to make the big call or are they willing to risk losing face by trying to keep one of the sport’s biggest names available for the tournament?