The Rugby Australia brand is damned after the Israel Folau ruling
Rugby Australia has blundered and caused damage to its brand by letting the Israel Folau debacle drag on for weeks, argues Patrick Southam. And with the game already suffering from poor attendances, low ratings and disengaged fans, it’s only going to get worse.
Israel Folau will never wear the green and gold jersey for the Wallabies again. That much is clear after Folau was found guilty this week of a high-level breach of his playing contract by an independent panel. The panel will now consider submissions from Rugby Australia and Folau to determine what sanction to impose on the star player after his controversial post on Instagram.
It was Folau’s second controversial post in 12 months.
It’s highly likely his $4m contract will be torn up. But even if it’s not, Folau will be frozen out of rugby. Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has declared he won’t pick Folau in his team, and captain Michael Hooper has publicly stated he’d find it “difficult” to play alongside Folau.
After the verdict, sportswear brand ASICS dumped Folau as a brand ambassador.
If it’s in the Bible then it must be OK!
Sadly if RA had ignored this statement from the Bible RA would not have been brought into disrepute, nor would they have responded if another powerful religious body had done the same. For me the three have attacked God and used Folau as the scapegoat as Gamaliel said many years ago you will be seen to be fighting God. But Sadly the other god has many recruits. Hopefully within 12 months they will know who the real God is. May God be merciful on their souls.
Sure is and castles were made to be torn down
seems to me that the difference between what Folau said and what the two drug takers did ultimately…is money.
Folau insulted a large proportion of the population, either directly as targets or indirectly via an assault on their values and that is very clearly bad for business. The Wallabies main sponsor in particular would have put a lot of pressure on but I’m sure all of them did and rightly so – it’s just not the kind of thing you want your brand to be associated with when you pay millions of dollars for a sponsorship.
Folau’s apparel sponsor dropped him today too.
taking drugs just isn’t a polarising enough issue to generate anything like the same response
it’s simple, if you’re offended, get a life. cus life doesn’t care. it’ll kick you in the guts while ya down and keep on going.
what disgusts me the most is the fact that you, among alot of others won’t use the word muslim, which if he was muslim this would never have been an issue, and the fact you worship [Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy] that like to attack others for exercising their rights, that they themselves fought to have access to! basically if you’re a straight christian believer, you should [Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy] , and yet muslims are [Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy] ! please tell me the logic of the argument? cus right now, all i see is daft clowns with no clue about what is going on in the real world..
So Israel didn’t tell his team mates at the Waratahs that he left the broncos to join the Suns because [Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy]. Mmmmm I hope that someone investigate this fact and uncovers the rest of stuff that Israel “double standards” Folau got up to.
Israel has demonised people like me through his posts and it’s only fitting that he should be banned for life. There is no place for homophobes in Australian society.
Well he was just quoting the bible. I think your argument is flawed and not inclusive of different beliefs and lifestyles. Many were included in the list. Perhaps take your argument up with Hod when you meet him!
He is allowed to have his beliefs, even express them respectfully. But quoting the bible in this context displays an utter lack of respect for modern norms and society.
[Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy]
As a drinker, I too felt particularly victimised.
If you do not share his beliefs it should be like water off a ducks back and just roll off. Or do you have doubts in the correctness of your lifestyle.
“Banned for life”
How nice of you. How is this level of intolerance any worse than the intolerance IF is being accused of?
Inclusive means diversity. Restore Israel s freedom means restore freedom for All, that s inclusive of you. Exclusive Club of bigots shouldn’t be allowed to continue re defining that being inclusive is right to EX communicate because someone thinks and speaks different. absolute BIGOTRY
If Israel is so adamant about following the tenets of the Old Testament then he should probably stone himself to death for working on the Sabbath.
Sabbath made for man????
RA have just lost this supporter. What happened to the old adage that went along the lines of ” I do not agree with what was said but I will defend to the hilt the right to say it “.
he has every right to say it legally (which is what that quote refers to)…which he clearly has and there’s been no attempt made to arrest him etc…
but as a high profile employee of an organisation, there can be consequences for publicly saying things that are detrimental to the values, image and commercial fortunes of that organisation.
if a high profile employee of any large company made public comments that a large proportion of their customers or stakeholders found offensive they’d be treated in the same way…with a warning for the first offence and most likely with a termination if it happened again
Great column, Patrick.
For those of us who advocate free speech while supporting same-sex marriage as civil right, Rugby Australia has unquestionably damaged its brand by sacking Folau.
While me and my gay friends may not have liked the posts, there’s no evidence that they were homophobic. Instead they were simply the recitation of scripture, an unambiguous form of religious expression.
For those hell-bent on crucifying Folau, I challenge you to honestly answer this question: If Folau were Muslim and cited an equivalent sentiment from the Quran, would he have been sacked by Rugby Australia?
NO WAY. Because in the pantheon of competing “progressive” values, the fear of being labelled Islamophobic trumps the fear of being labelled Homophobic. i.e Rugby Australia would be prepared to take flack for the latter rather than the former.
But because Folau was Christian, he was thrown to the lions.
this is probably true
Well put.
Bang on. Plenty of corporate posturing and it’s all garbage.
True that.
best one yet, agree
Well said.
Ironic that Israel’s blind faith got himself sacked, but Rugby Australia can’t embrace the deeper message to forgive and forget.
“But, in the end Folau did not sign off on the social media clause in his playing contract, which arguably weakened Rugby Australia’s claim that his Instagram post was a high-level breach of his contract.”
Good grounds for Folau to appeal to the High Court, if Rugby Australia sack him.
hope he does and sues individuals for millions and then Ra
Great article, Patrick. It sums up the issues very well. I am not interested in rugby, but I think that the treatment of Folau has been over the top and I also find the attitude towards the Tongan players’ devout Christian beliefs odd, to say the least. RA doesn’t know much about it’s own players!Israel’s post is not a good look for Christianity but that is hardly the point!
but he had the guts to stand by his faith, how many do
Great article, Patrick. It sums up all the issues. RA should, arguably, have ignored the post altogether. I find their attitude to the devout Christianity of the Tongan players odd – they don’t know much about their own players, obviously.
Folau’s post is not a good look for Christianity but is that the point? I don’t think that people should be told what to believe.
Wait for Folau to challenge RA on his dismissal on the grounds of being discriminated against due to his religious beliefs.
AMEN
He’s just a naughty naughty boy.
Now just go away.
Patrick ‘The Parrot’ Southam.
The RA brand has certainly been damaged, but I would argue the pentecostal church brand has been hit harder. “We cloak our bigotry in a selective reading of the Bible” is hardly a great positioning.
While I certainly don’t agree with what Israel said on his socials, I’m not offended by his opinion or him expressing it on his socials. That is called freedom of speech and is his right. If people find that offensive then don’t follow him. If the media find that offensive then don’t report on it and give his views oxygen.
I also don’t think he should lose his job for having a view that isn’t mainstream or that I don’t agree with.
RA want to be all inclusive except if you’re Israel with that opinion and in that case that want to exclude him. That is slightly ironic and hypocritical.
I find it more offensive that in 2019 sporting governing bodies and the media want to control what I am exposed to. I can decide for myself what I find offensive and then how I want to react, I certainly don’t need that filtered by RA.
Is that what you would say to a 14 year old boy in the suburbs after he’s been beaten up for being gay and is contemplating suicide?
No I would ask him if he believed in the Bible, and if he did believe I would aim to discourage that belief because we all know Hell is a place as real as Pan’s Neverland!
Do you seriously think that a 14 year old questioning their sexuality has no positive role models or resources to make them feel included? There are openly gay parliamentarians in all major political parties. Television has Joel Creasy, Magda szubanski, Josh Thomas just to name a few. Hundreds of thousands of people attend Mardi gras that is televised on the national broadcaster.
Claiming that a different opinion from a football player is going to suddenly negate all the positivity about various sexual proclivities that abound in the world simply infantalises the subject. All those rosy examples just get trumped by a footballer who has a deeply held belief – hate the sin but love the sinner. What, is it policy now that we are just going to pretend that there aren’t people in the world that don’t agree with the homosexual lifestyle?
Tolerance must go both ways, but there is an unnerving tendency to shut down commentary if it deviates from a particular narrative. The way Israel has been treated is frankly a disgrace.
And how would that be Israel’s fault? Did he say 14 year old gay children should be beaten up in the street?
Absolute ridiculous argument.
Beyond ridiculous.
RA are taking some big risks by being so hard on Israel and his Christians. Kerry Packer took on the ACB with World Series Cricket in 1977, and so did the Murdoch with Super League when they didn’t get the PAY TV rights in 1996. Both won against a bunch of amateur administrators. Now Andrew Forrest may lead a Christian walk out to his Global Rapid Rugby if he has the balls. Say 40% defect (all the Polynesians). That’s a good start for any breakaway code against establishment amateurs running Rugby Australia, who from a quote of a simple bible sentence, got themselves into this pickle. But maybe it is Qantas that’s going to destroy the existing game.
last comment I hope so cos they attack my faith to
Great article Patrick!
@ Bob, I think you are on the money!
As an employer I will be watching with interest as this progresses through Court. It will have a significant impact on what is in peoples contracts when it comes to ” bringing the company into disrepute ” clauses and social media use clauses undoubtedly.
very interesting (and quite convincing) comment in NSW Parliament today
“The Folau case exposes the new serfdom in the Australian workplace: how big companies, the corporate PC-elites are wanting to control all aspects of their employees’ lives — their religious and political views, how they speak and think, how they behave, even in their own time away from the workplace.
“This is a stunning intrusion on workers’ rights. Yet far from condemning the new serfdom, Labor and the trade unions have been cheering it on.”
Let’s get one thing straight. This is not about freedom of speech. It’s about either breaching his contract or a verbal agreement he had with the CEO of RA…and after repeated warnings. I as an employee am free to hold any views I like, but if I air them to the detriment of my employer, I could expect sanctions. Why is Folau any different?
Dan is absolutely right. If the CEO of a listed company tweeted anti-Semitic slurs, he would rightly be fired. It doesn’t matter than these views reflect his Nazi beliefs. It’s about contractual law, not freedom of speech. Israel has freedom of speech, but he also has an obligation to uphold a contract he signed. And by breaking it he has lied, so based on his own standards will likely be going to hell!!
true but keep it in house by making it public Ra did the damage. may all other internationals refuse to play Australia the Great South Land of the Holy Spirit, an ancient name for this territory.
In this country, at least, we have a right to believe in a religion of choice and a right to disbelieve.
The Bible has been collated, translated and interpreted by many, and is in degrees interpreted variously by all who read and follow it.
An individual may say that the so-called sanctity of marriage is nonsense and live with a partner in what used to be called “living in sin” in spite of which, the law after a certain period of time, considered it De Facto.
Mr. Folau has expressed his personal belief based upon his personal understanding of the Bible and those of authority in his church, who presumably support his view. He has not deliberately offended one identifiable person, and is, in my opinion, entitled to his point of view; also, in my opinion, it is the wrong point of view, but then so, in my opinion, is his religion.
so many have a biased opinion, but are they, we sure of our opinions, where are we all going at death???
what a shame Australia….your citizens are no longer aloud opinions unless they are politically correct.
No I would ask him if he believed in the Bible, and if he did believe I would aim to discourage that belief because we all know Hell is a place as real as Pan’s Neverland!
Media relations 101…
1. Have good contracts in place that cover media statements from employees / agents.
2. Act immediately. Do not let the bad news linger.
3. Listen to experts, not the enthusiastic amateurs on the board.
This is going to get even more confusing once they realise Rugby Union is “the game they play in heaven”!
Not sure why RA and Alan Joyce took this situation to a ridiculous level when in a so called “democratic society” (which it clearly is not) there are also people who are non-religious and therefore don’t believe in religious quotes, etc, which means Israel Folau’s post shouldn’t even matter if it’s just a quote from a religious text? What Israel quoted should mean squat!? I wonder if the same consequences would apply should anyone post other forms of religious quotes such as an Islamic quote from The Qur’an (which I still wouldn’t mind either, each to their own)? Would circumstances still be the same, doubt it!
Also, Alan Joyce is just a money hungry hypocrite! If he’s throwing a hissy fit claiming that Israel’s comment was “homophobic”, then why the hell has QANTAS maintained a partnership with Emirates Airlines, which is based in the United Arab Emirates, where homosexuality is punishable by imprisonment? Double standards.
I commend Israel Folau for challenging freedom of speech, he’s got my support.
For goodness sake, all the man did was to warn sinners that if they continued to sin and not repent, they would go to hell. If you don’t believe in hell, then what is your problem? If you don’t believe in God, then what is your problem? He did not single out the Gays, so why call him Homophobic? How about the 48% of non Christians in Australia show some tolerance to this man’s beliefs.
Should they be talking about Australia chances of winning the World Cup? Oh yes 0%,
Really!!!! RA has just gone too far with this and I hope they suffer the consequences. Israel is a true loving inclusive human being who has not vilified anybody, he has simply quoted his religious beliefs. The focus on all of this has been on homosexuals nothing has been said of others mentioned by Israel. Understand that while people have the rights to choose their paths in life they do not have the right to vilify those that do not agree with them. It is very clear that RA’s major sponsor has influenced RA’s decision making process in this matter either openly or otherwise. Well Israel go, go,go and for what it is worth you have my support in overcoming RA’s poltically so called correct position. The sectors mentioned by Israel have the opportunity to comment in our so called “free society” but, not to prosecute and execute. With you Israel.
Regards
Peter Roberts
Great to see proper conversation .
How ironic!!! Folau is spouting Christian ethics. The divided stance between Christianity and the LGBTG community (I have other terms for them but then this may be censored) has become a huge bonus for Christianity. The Church could never have afforded to pay for this amount of publicity.
Now, as to the existence of Heaven and Hell, there seems to be one point everyone is missing. It all comes down to a belief system. The Bible supports this. Up until the Babylonian conquest the ancient Israellites simply accepted the grave as being final – no afterlife – despite the Egyptian acceptance of such. It was the Babylonians who taught the then Jews that there was an afterlife, a belief system built on from there.
Jacob referred to Sheol, which is neither Heaven, nor Hell, merely the eternal darkness of the grave. Rest assured, we will all go to Sheol.
A little late to the party but very simply believe more than any other issue the Wallabies brand, media and ultimate commercial value is directly and ultimately related to performance on the field. Our performance on the field over the last five plus years has been steadily eroding. Fix that and everything else falls in line.