Fox Sports commentator Drew Mitchell offers rugby rebel Israel Folau an olive branch

Former Wallabies star Drew Mitchell has revealed how he has tried to talk to Israel Folau in a bid to make peace after the ugly fallout from his sacking.

Exclusive: Former Wallabies star Drew Mitchell has quietly reached out to his one-time teammate, Israel Folau in a bid to make peace after the ugly fallout from Folau’s sacking and polarising social media posts.

The Fox Sports commentator was called a “dog” and a “coward” by Folau’s fans and Christian supporters after he criticised the former NRL player for using a Go Fund Me page to bankroll his legal fight against Rugby Australia and NSW Waratahs.

Folau will return to court in February to pursue his $10 million lawsuit against his former rugby bosses, fighting for his right to freely express his religious beliefs, after having his $5.7 million contract terminated for breaching the professional players’ code of conduct with an Instagram post deemed to have vilified homosexuals and other marginalised groups.

Mitchell attacked Folau on Twitter as “greedy” after he sought money Mitchell argued was better directed to sick children and other charities, instead of funding the multi-millionaire athlete’s unfair dismissal claim.

Drew Mitchell at The Star for Fox Sports. Picture: Tim Hunter.

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His social media account was then inundated with vile messages and personal attacks from fans, angry he had challenged his former teammate so publicly.

“It was pretty colourful, but it’s one of those things. Obviously a lot of that dialogue in response to my Twitter has been, ‘oh you’re a dog for saying that about your teammate’ and ‘what about the boys’ code,’ Mitchell said.

“But some of my closest mates, who I grew up with at school, my brothers, whoever it is … it doesn’t matter how close I am with someone, it doesn’t give someone immunity from me to call them out if I feel like they’re in the wrong,” he said.

“That’s my opinion … but just because I played a game with someone doesn’t mean I’m not in a position to call them out if I feel like they’re wrong,” he said, adding, “when I’m in the wrong, there’s going to be a time where my closest friends and teammates or whoever feels comfortable enough to call me out on it too, if they’re coming from a different perspective.”

Israel Folau of Australia and Drew Mitchell celebrate victory after the 2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A match between Australia and Wales at Twickenham Stadium. Picture: Getty

The retired Queensland Reds and Western Force winger said while he stood by his comments, he had sent Folau text messages, inviting him to catch up and clear the air.

“We’ve exchanged a few texts and we’re catching up at some point when both our calendars align,” Mitchell said, with the meeting likely to be after his Rugby World Cup TV commitments.

“It’s one of those things where I don’t think either of us is going to convince each other to change our minds. It’s about understanding the motivation, the outcome he wanted to achieve,” he said.

“I think we could both agree things have probably gone a wee bit further than we both anticipated it to … I just asked if he was open to it, we could catch up for a coffee and try to gain an understanding, a new perspective.”

With the Australian squad to be named for the Rugby World Cup this week, Folau is likely to cast a long shadow over the team’s success or failure.

“It’s an unfortunate situation for the Wallabies and Israel as well,” Mitchell said.

“Whichever way performances go there will be chat about one or the other and whether he should be there or not.”

Originally published as Fox Sports commentator Drew Mitchell offers rugby rebel Israel Folau an olive branch