When Israel Folau settled his multi-million dollar grievance with Rugby Australia after he was sacked over a social media post that summarised a Bible passage, it looked to be an end to the matter. But now Folau’s attempt to move on and play rugby again is under threat.
Folau was unquestionably one of the best rugby players in the world at the time of his sacking. He remains a talent that most teams would dream of having. A month after the historic settlement was reached, the Catalan Dragons – a rugby league team based in Perpignan, France – announced they had signed Folau as part of a one-year deal.
The club’s chairman said that while they did not share or condone the views Folau had expressed on social media, he wanted to give him ‘a new opportunity to shine on the pitch’. His contract contained a clause that would end his employment should Folau publicly express similar views in future.
Despite the assurances that Folau would not be making any further public comments about his religious views – which represented a surprising climbdown from the outspoken player – the move was met with heavy resistance from players, clubs and the sport’s governing bodies.
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