Maroons legend Greg Inglis speaks out on racism in Australian society
GREG Inglis has labelled racist attitudes in Australian society “appalling” and says the abuse must stop in the wake of the latest slur to hit the Queensland Origin star.
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GREG Inglis has labelled racist attitudes in Australian society “appalling” and says the abuse must stop in the wake of the latest slur to hit the Queensland Origin star.
And Inglis found an ally in Maroons coach Kevin Walters, who called for the NRL to issue life bans for any rugby league fan who is caught firing racial slurs at NRL players.
The NRL is continuing to investigate claims a fan allegedly called Inglis a “black dog” during the Souths Sydney-Penrith clash at Panthers Stadium last Saturday night.
Inglis refused to comment specifically on the incident, citing the ongoing probe by the NRL, but the Rabbitohs and Maroons ace says racism in mainstream society remains a problem.
Inglis has repeatedly encountered racial incidents, most notably in 2010 when former NSW star Timana Tahu famously walked out of Origin camp in protest at a Blues staffer making a personal remark about the Maroons centre.
“Without a doubt, racism in Australian society is appalling. Full stop,” said Inglis, speaking at Queensland Rugby League headquarters today to promote ticket sales for Origin III at Suncorp Stadium.
“It has to stop.”
Asked about the latest incident, Inglis said: “I’m not here to talk about that, I’m here to talk about Maroons and selling tickets for Origin III.”
Asked how he was made to feel by the slur, Inglis added: “I’m not talking about that. It’s under investigations so I can’t make any comments.”
Walters was more forthcoming, calling for the NRL to take a zero-tolerance stance by handing out life bans to any supporter found guilty of using a racial slur.
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“It’s just unacceptable that sort of behaviour in any sport,” he said.
“We have a guy who does so much for the indigenous community and for people to come up with that nonsense is disrespectful.
“It shouldn’t be tolerated, I do feel for Greg and what happened to him on the weekend.
“I thought that stuff had been eliminated from our game but there are still people out there saying stuff. It’s just not right. The NRL, and rightly so, are trying to find the culprit and when they do it would be nice to see it dealt with.”
Inglis admits he has work to do to win back his beloved Queensland jumper, admitting he has to earn the right to an Origin recall in his return from a knee reconstruction.
“I can’t just jump straight back into Origin after coming back from an ACL injury,” he said.
“Origin is only 10 weeks away, so I have that time to put in some good performances before Origin I.”
Originally published as Maroons legend Greg Inglis speaks out on racism in Australian society