Wallabies star Israel Folau admits flaws in social media use

ISRAEL Folau has admitted he could have conveyed his religious views on gay people in a more positive way, according to Rugby Australia chief Raelene Castle.

Israel Folau faced Rugby Australia bosses on Tuesday regarding his religious beliefs..

UDPATE: ISRAEL Folau conceded his comments about gays being destined for hell were disrespectful, but gave no guarantees to his employers at Rugby Australia that he would refrain from posting further inflammatory remarks on social media.

It’s left RA and the NSW Waratahs frustrated, with their biggest star leaving a meeting on Tuesday giving no clear resolution to the controversy that has plagued rugby for the past week.

Folau will not back down from his Christian beliefs, but RA chief executive Raelene Castle and Waratahs counterpart Andrew Hore had hoped to get a commitment from him that he’d steer clear of repeating the anti-gay comments.

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Instead, Folau was adamant that he’ll continue to stand up for his beliefs despite the outrage its caused, and the parties agreed to meet again soon to iron out the complex navigation between free speech and ostracising a section of the community.

“Even Israel acknowledged that maybe he could have put a positive spin on that same message and done it in a less disrespectful way,” Castle said.

Israel Folau faced Rugby Australia bosses on Tuesday regarding his religious beliefs..

“He certainly understands that he has caused some people some grief through this process.”

But Folau, 29, failed to guarantee that he’d stop commenting on the gay community on social media as they’d hoped, and snuck out of RA’s Moore Park offices after the sit-down to escape media questioning.

“Israel has gone away to think about that, because for him, he’s proud of what he is and what he stands for, so he wants to make sure that we are not asking him to compromise those beliefs,” Castle said.

This comes amid major sponsors including Qantas watching proceedings closely. The airliner will reconsider its multimillion-dollar deal of the Wallabies if Folau posts more comments that are deemed homophobic.

“This is a difficult issue when you think you are trying to combine religious beliefs, freedom of speech and inclusion, respect and the use of social media,” Castle said.

“We’re proud of the fact that he’s a strong believer and he’s prepared to stand up for what he believes in.

Israel Folau's controversial comment on Instagram about gays.

“We’re proud of the fact that he’s a strong believer and he’s prepared to stand up for what he believes in.

“We want athletes in our code who are prepared to do that and that’s really important.

“But at the same time, Rugby Australia’s got a policy and position of inclusion and using social media with respect.

“So that’s where we shared stories, shared ideas and shared positions and both of us recognise that what we want is a situation where we use our social media platforms in a respectful and positive way.”

Folau is also off contract at the end of this season, and Australian rugby is keen to extend his deal to ensure he is available for the Wallaibes at next year’s World Cup.

“We’d really like him to stay in rugby - that’s hugely important to us, he’s a great player,” Castle said.

“He’s been a really strong role model in the Pasifika community and we would like to see that he stays in rugby.

“But we also know he’s an athlete that is in demand and there’s going to be other people looking to try and move him.”

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Originally published as Wallabies star Israel Folau admits flaws in social media use