Australian NRL player, Ian Roberts, has dropped a chilling truth on Israel Folau during an emotional plea on live TV. Photo / Supplied
Australian NRL player, Ian Roberts, has dropped a chilling truth on Israel Folau during an emotional plea on live TV. Photo / Supplied
The first Australian NRL player to publicly come out as gay has issued an emotional message to Israel Folau as the Wallabies star fights to save his rugby career.
Folau's code of conduct hearing continues today as Rugby Australia (RA) tries to justify its intent to sack him and tearup the 30-year-old's four-year, $4 million contract after his homophobic Instagram post last month, reports news.com.au.
The hearing is taking place amid reports from The Sunday Telegraph RA offered Folau a $1 million peace offering earlier in the week to walk away from his deal — an offer which was rejected.
Speaking on Channel 9's Sports Sunday program, ex-footy star Ian Roberts delivered a sobering message to Folau about the tragic truth of the beliefs he's spreading.
"I feel sorry for Israel but there are consequences to your actions," Roberts said.
"I don't say this lightly and what I'm about to say, the language I use, is hard and it's for a point, it's to get that message across.
"There are literally kids in the suburbs killing themselves and I say that with the greatest sense of respect and I'm not saying that Israel is responsible solely for that.
"But it's these types of comments and these types of off-the-cuff remarks when you have young people and vulnerable people who are dealing with their sexuality, confused, not knowing how to deal with it.
"These types of remarks can and do push people over the edge."
Folau's future is yet to be decided. Photo / Getty Images
Roberts added that freedom of religion doesn't allow freedom to vilify and said using that excuse or hiding behind "freedom of expression" is like "playing the victim".
"There can't be any tolerance of bigotry," he said.
Daily Telegraph sports reporter David Riccio floated a couple of possibilities about what the $1 million offer from Rugby Australia may mean, saying it could suggest Folau is confident of winning his case and RA is not.
"What I found interesting is it's either one of two things. One, it's a sign maybe Rugby Australia are a little bit nervous it may end up losing the case and may want to settle," he said.
"On the flip side, it's the money hungry Israel Folau wanting his $4 million deal, not $1 million and he believes he's got a pretty good fight to win the case."
Riccio's fellow TV panellist and former Australian netball captain Liz Ellis also suggested the offer may be part of RA's long term plan to appease stakeholders if the governing body isn't successful in sacking Folau.
"I started to think about this with the $1 million offer knowing that Israel Folau likes to earn a lot of money, mad if he doesn't and he supports his family with that, there is absolutely nothing against it," Ellis said.
"Perhaps they (RA) knew he would reject it.
"So then you start to think long term. Can they go back, hand on heart, to their fans and stakeholders and say, 'We tried to sack him, we offered $1 million to get rid of him, we lost the case, we can't afford to pay him out completely, so we might just pick him anyway'."
However, former Wallaby Peter FitzSimons denied that would be the case and said whatever the outcome of the code of conduct hearing, there's no way Folau can play for Australia again because he's lost the trust of the dressing room.
