Israel Folau will not play for the Wallabies again after his contract was terminated by Rugby Australia following his anti-gay posts. Photo / Getty
Israel Folau will not play for the Wallabies again after his contract was terminated by Rugby Australia following his anti-gay posts. Photo / Getty
Disgraced former Wallabies star Israel Folau has seen his multi-million dollar contract torn up by Rugby Australia, following more than a month of high drama.
This is how the saga unfolded:
11 April 2019:
Folau weighs in on the gender birth certificate debate in Australia, saying again homosexuals will goto hell.
This follows after Tasmania became the first Australian jurisdiction to make gender an option on birth certificates. After the announcement, Folau took to Twitter to tell people to "turn away" from their evil ways after the announcement.
Rugby Australia later confirmed it was investigating the comments, saying in a statement the posts were "unacceptable" and "disrespectful".
12 April 2019:
Wallabies sponsor Qantas join the growing chorus of outrage at Folau's posts, saying the comments "clearly don't reflect the spirit of inclusion and diversity that we support".
15 April 2019:
Coach Michael Cheika says he will not select Folau for the Wallabies after his "disrespectful" social media posts attacking gay people.
The panel for Folau's code of conduct hearing is confirmed, with John West QC the chairMAN. RA's Kate Eastman SC and Rugby Union Players' Association representative John Boultbee AM are announced as the other panellists as Folau fights to save his career.
3 May 2019:
Video emerges of Folau fighting back tears while delivering a sermon at his church on Easter Sunday.
4 May 2019:
Ian Roberts, the first Australian NRL player to publicly come out as gay, issues an emotional message to Folau warning that "literally kids in the suburbs are killing themselves" over remarks like Folau's.
7 May 2019:
Folau is found guilty of high-level breach of Rugby Australia's code of conduct after a four-day hearing in Sydney.
Folau was found guilty of a high-level breach of Rugby Australia's code of conduct. Photo / Getty
8 May 2019:
Folau says he's "at peace" with the verdict, according to outspoken Australian radio host and former Wallabies coach Alan Jones.
9 May 2019:
Folau is dumped as brand ambassador by sportswear company ASICS over his homophobic comments.
10 May 2019:
It is revealed that Folau turned down an offer of $1 million to walk away from his contract and that he refused to remove the social media posts when offered a lifeline by RA.
13 May 2019:
Folau's relationship with long-time manager Isaac Moses is reportedly on the rocks, as the 30-year-old fullback "all but turned his back" on the man who has been in his corner since he was 14.
17 May 2019:
Australian media report Folau will take RA to the Supreme Court if his $4 million contract is terminated.
