Israel Folau drops hint that he’s accepted fate, removes Twitter image of himself playing rugby
As Israel Folau awaits the decision on his future, he has dropped a hint that he’s accepted his playing days with rugby union are over — while his Waratahs teammates reach out to offer support.
AS the agonising wait for judgment day on his rugby career approaches, Israel Folau has sent a cryptic message suggesting he knows the end is nigh.
Having already rejected Rugby Australia’s offer of a peace deal to let him resume playing, describing the offer as being tempted by the devil, Folau is slowly but surely has further distancing himself from the sport.
While still refusing to remove the divisive social media posts proclaiming that “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists, idolaters” were going to hell, he has tellingly changed his profile picture.
His Twitter and Instagram accounts had both previously featured a shot of him playing for the Waratahs, with his hand raised triumphantly in the air pointing to the sky, but that has now been replaced by an image of the number one and the words “God first.”
Folau hasn’t given any explanation as to why he edited his profile picture but it follows hot on the heels of his admission that he expects to be sacked after refusing to remove the anti-gay posts after being told they were in breach of the Code of Conduct.
A decision on his punishment is expected any day after the three-person panel that heard his case found him guilty of a high-level offence.
If he is sacked, no-one will feel his departure more than the Waratahs, who have lost three of the four games they have played since he was stood down, with NSW coach Daryl Gibson saying it would also be a sad day for the sport.
“Obviously I think he's an incredible talent. I think that's probably what's been lost in this is the fact is potentially he's going to be lost to the code,” Gibson said.
Opinions are split within the team about whether Folau deserves to be sacked for his postings with many other players in the squad also practising Christians.
But the one thing they all agree on is that they can have their differences of opinion without ruining the team culture.
Several players have kept in close contact with Folau during the month-long saga and Gibson said they had been given the green light to meet up with him and support him if they wanted to.
“We’re still following it and it’s in progress,” Gibson said.
“It’s a difficult one. We’re no different to all the opinions in society. We’re a team and have very diverse opinions on where we sit on everything.
“(It is about) managing that dynamic and the opportunity is for us to come together over a common purpose and that’s what we’ve done.
“Israel is still a teammate We still care for him and that will continue. There is still a range of options still on the table for him and we’ll learn his fate this week.”