Relationship between Israel Folau and rugby bosses sour over anti-gay comments

Somewhere in the world, Folaus jaw dropped. Come again?

He said he would not be backing down on his comments that have been branded homophobic by some but allowable and acceptable to others because of his right to free speech.

Folau told Castle he wasn't worried about “positive spin”. He refused to guarantee he wouldnt make such comments again and will walk away from the game if necessary. The most important team in his life is “Team Jesus”, as per his Twitter account.

Make no mistake: despite Castles positive spin at her doorstep media conference, the situation with Folau remains delicate at best.

Doubtless, RA officials are scanning Folaus Twitter and Instagram accounts, waiting to see if he has anything more to say. At the time of publication, hed remained silent.

They remain under pressure from major sponsor Qantas as well as the wider rugby community.

On the wall in their freshly built offices is an imagine of Andrew Purchas holding the Bingham Cup, the prize for winning the "world cup of gay rugby". Right next to it is an image of Folau holding the Rugby Championship trophy from 2015.

Folau is off contract at the end of this season. His deal with RA and the Waratahs is reportedly worth about $1 million a year.

He comes with a high price tag but NRL clubs are circling. Gold Coast Titans coach Garth Brennan has already declared he wants to build his club around Folau.

Greenberg has made no secret of his desire to entice Folau back to the game in which he sprung to prominence with the Storm, Broncos, Queensland and Australia, soaring above defenders to score from cross-field kicks.

“I have been pretty consistent over a long period of time in saying I would love to see Israel Folau in rugby league,” Greenberg said last month. “I hold Israel in the highest of regard both for his skill on the field and what he does off it. He is an incredibly talented footballer but a very, very good person too.”

Now, Greenberg has been forced to confront a tricky question sooner than he might have anticipated: how would the NRL deal with Folau espousing his religious views on social media if those views so happen to outrage supporters and disturb major sponsors?

At a dinner on Tuesday night, Greenberg canvassed the opinions of all 16 club bosses on the matter.

Many NRL players, most notably Eels big-names Jarryd Hayne and Tim Mannah, are devout Christians closely connected to the Hillsong Church, like Folau. What would happen if they made similar comments?

Indeed, the NRL is watching Rugby Australias response closely — something Castle, the former chief executive at the Bulldogs, acknowledged.

“I know there will be a lot of other sports out there looking to see how this plays out to see how we work through this particular issue,” Castle said. “Israels presented his situation to us and where his views are and his beliefs are and were proud of the fact hes a strong believer and hes prepared to stand up for what he believes in and we want athletes in our code that are prepared to do that. Thats really important.

"At the same time Rugby Australia has got a policy in a position of inclusion and using social media with respect. We shared stories, and ideas and positions and both of us recognise that what we want is a situation where we use our social media platforms in a respectful and positive way.”

Pressed on contract talks with Folau, she said: “Were in a negotiation with Israel to extend and wed really like him to stay in rugby, thats hugely important to us. Hes a great player, hes delivered some great outcomes for us and hes been a really strong role model in the Pasifika community and we would like to see that he stays in rugby but we also know hes an athlete that is in demand and there is going to be other people looking to try and move him. Well be putting our best foot forward to make sure he stays in rugby.”

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Chief Sports Writer, The Sydney Morning Herald

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