Israel Folau has claimed that media spin was largely accountable for his 2019 dismissal by Rugby Australia (RA), insisting that he was “misunderstood” on the time.
The 35-year-old former Wallabies full-back was key participant for the Wallabies when RA terminated his contract following controversial social media posts.
In 2019, Folau posted on Instagram that “hell awaits drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolators.” This submit adopted a 2018 incident the place he acknowledged that homosexuals would go to hell except they repented, sparking widespread backlash.
Folau’s feedback and subsequent dismissal successfully ended his profession on the prime stage of rugby, though he has lately returned to Check rugby with Tonga. Earlier than his sacking, Folau had featured in 73 Assessments for Australia and was signed with the Waratahs for an additional three years in a deal that may have run till 2022.
He has since maintained that his intentions have been misrepresented, attributing his downfall to how the media portrayed his views.
“After I put up the submit, I by no means thought that I’d get terminated for it. It simply by no means crossed my thoughts,” Folau instructed the Ebbs and Flows rugby league podcast this weekend.
“Lots of people misunderstood the precise submit and the media performed an enormous half in taking it and spinning that one phrase.
“If me personally, you’d know the intention behind the submit. However the media performed an enormous half in taking it and spinning it the way in which they wished to.
“I feel that constructed all that stress and momentum which went that method and ended up with me getting terminated.”
After his contract was terminated by Rugby Australia he has went on to have one other stint in rugby league earlier than returning to rugby union with Japan’s Urayasu D-Rocks.
The 6’4, 102kg outdoors again missed the Rugby World Cup with Tonga final 12 months with damage.
