Sacked Australian rugby player Israel Folau has launched a $A3 million crowd-funding campaign to help fund legal action against Rugby Australia and the New South Wales Waratahs as he fights his termination in court.
Folau, a Christian, was sacked last month after being found of a “high level” breach of Rugby Australia’s code of conduct. The breach related to a social media post which said that hell awaited “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers” and other groups.
Folau, who said the action was “about defending the right to religious freedom”, and that he needed the money to prepare for a long legal battle, having already spent more than $A100,000 fighting his termination unsuccessfully during RA’s code of conduct hearing.
On the GoFundMe page, Folau said his faith is “the most important thing in my life”.
“I try to live my life according to the Bible and I believe it is my duty to share the word of the Bible…I believe that sharing the Bible is an act of love and compassion.”
Folau said he believed the termination of his contract was “unlawful” which is why he had started legal proceedings and added that Rugby Australia had already said they would divert “significant resources” to fighting the case.
“Even if I win, Rugby Australia can appeal,” he said. “There is every chance that a prominent test case like this could take years and eventually end up in the High Court of Australia.”
Folau’s contract, which he signed late last year, was worth a reported $A5 million. The 73-test fullback was one of the country’s highest paid players after crossing to the code in 2013 from Australian Rules football.
On Friday, Folau gave his first media interview since his dismissal to radio host and former Wallabies coach Alan Jones, a long-time critic of Rugby Australia and its CEO Raelene Castle.
“When I said things that come from the Bible, it comes from a place of love,” he said. “From my perspective I’m always about sharing that from a place of love and believing in the Bible, that people have the opportunity to hear that.
“So that they do repent if they choose to and turn away from that and have an opportunity to be in Heaven one day, which is what I long for people to choose to do.”
Folau’s campaign had already raised more than $A350,000 as of late Friday.
– with IAN RANSOM, Reuters
