NRL Reportedly Excludes Israel Folau in the Name of ‘Inclusivity’
You can commit serious misconduct, assault people, even pressure your girlfriend into an abortion, and still be welcomed back. But quote the Bible, and you're finished.
Israel Folau has allegedly been denied the opportunity to play in the NRL for the remainder of the season because of “inclusivity”.
The quick rundown: Folau’s camp alleges that Israel was invited to play for the West Tigers.
Yet, media outlets claim that Israel was the one who reached out to the club.
Fox Sports, quoting a 2GB exclusive, asserted that Folau’s manager had approached Tigers coach Benji Marshall.
2GB said they were informed, “that he’s been shopped around to at least one club in the National Rugby League - that being the Wests Tigers.”
On June 12, Newswire reported that Marshall had “shut the door on suggestions his club is considering signing Israel Folau.”
Marshall essentially said he’s got more to think about than answering speculation about recruitment.
Igniting another religious freedom battle, legacy media took the opportunity to hype up the “homophobe” trope.
They rehashed the Rugby Union’s 2019 unfair dismissal of Folau for posting a paraphrase of Galatians 5:19-21 on his personal Instagram page.
Covered extensively by Caldron Pool at the time, Folau’s dismissal was eventually settled out of court (see examples here, here, here and here).
Wallabies boss, Rugby Australia, apologised, then apparently paid an undisclosed amount in compensation.
Israel never played for the Wallabies again.
Disputing 2GB’s sources, Folau’s wife, Maria, took to Instagram yesterday to clear the air.
A month after returning to Australia, Maria said Marshall contacted Israel, saying “he wanted him to be part of the West Tigers for the remainder of the season.”
Israel, she recalled, told Marshall that he would have to check with Peter V’landys, Chair of the Australian Rugby League Commission.
This was because Israel was blocked in 2021 from playing for the Dragons.
Maria recounted Marshall saying, “he had already cleared it with V’Landy and the Tigers board, and that it was all good for Israel to come play in the NRL.”
A week later, she added, the Tigers’ coach called to tell them “he’d hit a roadblock. That V’Landy had spoken to him, saying that everyone had given the all-clear.”
However, former Tigers player Wayne Pearce, one of the league’s commissioners, reasoned against the move because of “inclusiveness, and that it would be a bad look to have Israel back in the game.”
“I’m not sure how these boards work and how one person has that much pull about who can play in the NRL and who can’t,” Maria said.
“But that was what we were told from Marshall.”
Maria continued, “got in contact with Wayne Pearce by text, and it was the same thing.
“Israel wasn’t welcome to play.”
Marshall told them “He was still keen to have Israel back on board and that he was going to try and get a contract lodged, and that the board were meeting on Sunday to talk about the situation.”
Maria explained they were later “told the Tigers were no longer going to lodge a contract.”
This, she explained, “was because media pressure would be a distraction for the club, and then also pressure from elsewhere.
“It’s unfortunate the Tigers have changed their mind.”
Maria then added that she felt like the entire exercise was a complete waste of time.
People will speculate, “say what they want to say, and write what they want to write,” she concluded, “but this is what’s actually happened. These are the conversations that we’ve had.”
Adding to this, Israel Folau wrote, “The double standard from the NRL is crazy. The game talks about inclusion, yet my Christian beliefs were said to be a problem and didn’t align with their values.
“At the same time, players who’ve committed actual offences have been welcomed back. Make it make sense.”
Revisiting then-ACL boss, Martyn Iles’ 2021 “Let Him Play” social media campaign, Family First said in the party was standing with Folau.
Family First director, Lyle Shelton, called for the NRL commission to stop “blacklisting” Folau, adding that “the treatment of Folau exposed a glaring double standard within the game’s leadership.
“Israel Folau has not committed a crime. He has not assaulted anyone. He has not abused women. He has not engaged in misconduct on the field or off it.
“His ‘offence’ was posting a Bible verse expressing orthodox Christian teaching about repentance and salvation.
“Yet the NRL,” Shelton argued, “has repeatedly welcomed back players involved in serious off-field scandals, including incidents involving violence against women and other deeply troubling conduct.”
Naming moral inconsistencies and calling out the apparent incoherence in the application of NRL policies, he remarked,
“The message from the game’s administrators appears to be that you can make serious mistakes, hurt people, coerce your girlfriend to abort her baby and still be welcomed back into rugby league.
“But if you publicly express traditional Christian beliefs, you become untouchable.”
If what the Folau camp has said rings true, Shelton said, “the ARL Commission are operating a two-tier system of inclusiveness.”
“One set of rules applies to people whose behaviour breaches community standards, and another applies to Bible-believing Christians.
“That is not inclusiveness. It is ideological discrimination.”
Shelton isn’t wrong.
As he also pointed out: “If they can do this to Izzy, they can do it to any of us.”
Effectively, Folau is being excluded from the game to protect the game’s commitment to maintaining an “inclusive” environment.
If you ever wanted a definitive example in Australia of LGBTQ+ lawfare, and its Marxist cousin, the Woke Mind Virus, this is it.
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