News Israel Folau on the verge of NRL return as Dragons submit application for two-year deal

Hacky McAxe

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Well considering that Israel has not broken any laws, it would be hard for them to find a legal way to block his return. In fact considering our Freedom of Religion laws, it would be hard-pressed for them you use his views as a reason to block him.
They would just state "bringing game into disrepute" as the reason. But if Folau states that he'll sign a contract saying that he won't publicly make any comments that people could consider homophobic, then I don't see them blocking him.

But I also doubt Folau would sign that agreement.
 

Hacky McAxe

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Interesting. Which part of Alan's comment do you disagree with?
A few things I immediately noticed:

- attacking people for protesting racism

- saying that all people taking a knee for BLM don't know what they're doing and have no idea what they're protesting

- suggesting that BLM protesters are all violent

- using the old white supremacist tactic of blaming African Americans and Aboriginals for what happens to them

- throwing in the white supremist dismissive term, "All Lives Matter" with emphasis

- using a quote from a hero of the African American Civil Rights movement to attack Black Lives Matter supporters

Jones is just a crap shock jock like all the rest of the shock jocks. He's not there to defend Folau. He's there to cause division any way he can.
 

wendog33

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I doubt it was 10 million mate, but most outlets are reporting it to be in the 7 figure region. I have seen 10, up to 14, but most around the 6-8 mark.

Either way - it was a substantial payout.
Which Rugba Leeg does not need :grinning:
 

wendog33

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They would just state "bringing game into disrepute" as the reason. But if Folau states that he'll sign a contract saying that he won't publicly make any comments that people could consider homophobic, then I don't see them blocking him.

But I also doubt Folau would sign that agreement.
But give the public more reason to deride the Dragons so there's that I guess.

I'm sure the team will go well what with Debellend controversy and now if they sign Folau.

Imagine the crowd disruption and protests the supporters will have to endure. No thanks.
 

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Even if he does sign a contract with a clause limiting him from posting shit on social media, the guy will still generate bad headlines..... say the NRL celebrates LGBT week or some special week that celebrates inclusiveness in rugby league and they expect the team to wear rainbow colored socks or have a strip on the jersey, there is no way that the guy will take part in that. He just comes with so much baggage that it's not worth signing him. He's just bad for the brand.....

I wonder if he'll wear the XXXX sponsored QLD jersey if he gets picked for origin? If he does, then he's a hypocrite...
 

Flanagun

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Interesting. Which part of Alan's comment do you disagree with?
I was speaking generally. But I watched about a minute of the video before deciding it was not worthy of any more of my time....it's just the same stock standard right wing argument trying to claim Folau's right to free speech was being violated. In fact, he was and is entitled to speak freely. Nobody has tried to throw him in a cell. The problem is that as a public ambassador for a large company in an entertainment based business, he is expected to maintain a public image that is respectful of all consumers of that product. That doesn't mean he has to approve of anything he doesn't agree with. It doesn't mean he isn't entitled to his own values and convictions....but if his conviction tells him he needs to alienate a large percentage of the demographic of the product he represents by telling people that they, or their family members are going to Hell, potential employers have a right to decide he is a liability and would not be an asset to their business. Private companies have had a right to maintain their business interests and public images for a long time. I could potentially get sacked for saying certain things on social media in my line of work and I'm not a celebrity. I signed a contract agreeing I would not say such things in order to protect business interests. I certainly didn't have to sign it if I felt the right to publicly say those things was more important than my job. Free speech does not mean speech without any potential repercussions. It simply means we can say almost anything without the fear of being thrown in a cell.
 

Flanagun

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They would just state "bringing game into disrepute" as the reason. But if Folau states that he'll sign a contract saying that he won't publicly make any comments that people could consider homophobic, then I don't see them blocking him.

But I also doubt Folau would sign that agreement.
I read one report this morning saying he had apparently agreed to mute his social media platforms in favour of one big pay day and another from Steve McNamara saying previous reports were rubbish and implying Catalans was hopeful he would still come back to them....so who knows what's going on.

I'm happy for him to return if he is willing to accept his role as an ambassador for all RL fans and to be more diplomatic about what he says.....still glad he won't be coming to the Dogs, though. Last thing we need is more negative media headlines.
 

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Could even be lining up for Queensland if things pan out. Is he of Tongan descent? Be a good addition to there squad also.
 

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Do Qantas sponsor the NRL or any club? Pip squeak Joyce may try to sabotage the deal.
He'd let it happen first, then pipe up like the little angry man he is so that he had an excuse to pull the sponsorship .... purely as a cost saving exercise given the state of the aviation industry.
 

Como Dog

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I think the difference is that Lodge apologised and seeked out counselling. Folau refused to apologise and told everyone that they are wrong.

I understand where his beliefs are coming from but you also have to see where the NRL is coming from. It's equivalent to a player racially abusing people then refusing to apologise for it. He can stick to his religious beliefs but as long as he's vocal about it then it's just going to cause problems.

If he just said, "no comment", then there probably wouldn't be an issue for anyone.
Totally agree, but I am glad he took Raelene to the cleaners.
 

TwinTurbo

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The problem is that as a public ambassador for a large company in an entertainment based business, he is expected to maintain a public image that is respectful of all consumers of that product.
The above sentence encompasses the problem, being respectful of all, in a practical sense, is impossible. Israel Folua's father Eni Folau is a Church Pastor and his fellow parishioners and other devout Christians would not accept even Israel's silence. Keeping in mind what he actually said in the post, which was a screenshot quoting 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 "WARNING Drunks, Homosexuals, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists, Idolators HELL AWAITS YOU."

What he is guilty of is quoting a book that is thousands of years old, one that is held is the ultimate esteem by billions of people world wide. Personally I'm not comfortable with the precedent that simply by quoting a book I too could be vilified and persecuted in the same fashion. Whether you, I or someone else believes what a book says or not is irrelevant, what is relevant is that no one should ever be condemned for simply quoting a book.

Expressing outrage about something, anything, everything is essentially a modern pastime. If we look hard enough there is always something to be outraged over. When a society is social media saturated and everyone can have their own public platform they are going to have endless opportunities to complain bitterly about people saying "terrible" things. Even if the "terrible" thing was written by someone else thousands of years ago.

What strikes me as being interesting is that the countless numbers of us "Drunks, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists and Idolators" don't seem to be troubled too much by the biblical quote.


Go Dogs
 

Hacky McAxe

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The above sentence encompasses the problem, being respectful of all, in a practical sense, is impossible. Israel Folua's father Eni Folau is a Church Pastor and his fellow parishioners and other devout Christians would not accept even Israel's silence. Keeping in mind what he actually said in the post, which was a screenshot quoting 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 "WARNING Drunks, Homosexuals, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists, Idolators HELL AWAITS YOU."

What he is guilty of is quoting a book that is thousands of years old, one that is held is the ultimate esteem by billions of people world wide. Personally I'm not comfortable with the precedent that simply by quoting a book I too could be vilified and persecuted in the same fashion. Whether you, I or someone else believes what a book says or not is irrelevant, what is relevant is that no one should ever be condemned for simply quoting a book.

Expressing outrage about something, anything, everything is essentially a modern pastime. If we look hard enough there is always something to be outraged over. When a society is social media saturated and everyone can have their own public platform they are going to have endless opportunities to complain bitterly about people saying "terrible" things. Even if the "terrible" thing was written by someone else thousands of years ago.

What strikes me as being interesting is that the countless numbers of us "Drunks, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists and Idolators" don't seem to be troubled too much by the biblical quote.


Go Dogs
I wonder what would happen if he quoted Mein Kampf instead.
 

Flanagun

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The above sentence encompasses the problem, being respectful of all, in a practical sense, is impossible. Israel Folua's father Eni Folau is a Church Pastor and his fellow parishioners and other devout Christians would not accept even Israel's silence. Keeping in mind what he actually said in the post, which was a screenshot quoting 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 "WARNING Drunks, Homosexuals, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists, Idolators HELL AWAITS YOU."

What he is guilty of is quoting a book that is thousands of years old, one that is held is the ultimate esteem by billions of people world wide. Personally I'm not comfortable with the precedent that simply by quoting a book I too could be vilified and persecuted in the same fashion. Whether you, I or someone else believes what a book says or not is irrelevant, what is relevant is that no one should ever be condemned for simply quoting a book.

Expressing outrage about something, anything, everything is essentially a modern pastime. If we look hard enough there is always something to be outraged over. When a society is social media saturated and everyone can have their own public platform they are going to have endless opportunities to complain bitterly about people saying "terrible" things. Even if the "terrible" thing was written by someone else thousands of years ago.

What strikes me as being interesting is that the countless numbers of us "Drunks, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists and Idolators" don't seem to be troubled too much by the biblical quote.


Go Dogs
He quoted nothing....he shared a clumsy and inaccurate attempt at paraphrasing which was unnecessarily confrontational and actually counter intuitive to core Christian teachings of spreading the word with compassion and respect. Your argument fell over as soon as you tried to claim he quoted a Bible verse.

Personally, I think Folau should take a look in the mirror before he thinks of preaching to others about what he perceives to be their own moral shortcomings. This is a bloke who appealed to his own supporters to crowdfund his legal fight, despite the fact he is wealthy and most of them are probably not. He did this under the guise of claiming he was taking a moral stand with them based on principle, only to abandon the legal challenge he swore he would never back down from in order to accept a payout. So why is he calling out liars when he tells lies himself? Doesn't the Bible also say something about letting he who is without sin cast the first stone? Or is that from one of the Harry Potter books.

Anyway, I don't really see the point in joining the social media pile on and if he can earn big money in either the super league or NRL, good luck to him. But earning top dollar as a professional sportsperson comes with ambassadorial responsibilities that include not offending and potentially alienating a large portion of the fan base of the code you represent. There are many athletes from various codes who share Folau's religious convictions, but still seem to realise that fact.
 

TwinTurbo

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I wonder what would happen if he quoted Mein Kampf instead.
I can't say as I have ever quoted Mein Kampf, but I did quote Joseph Stalin today "Everybody has a right to be stupid, but some people abuse the privilege".

Go Dogs
 

wendog33

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The above sentence encompasses the problem, being respectful of all, in a practical sense, is impossible. Israel Folua's father Eni Folau is a Church Pastor and his fellow parishioners and other devout Christians would not accept even Israel's silence. Keeping in mind what he actually said in the post, which was a screenshot quoting 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 "WARNING Drunks, Homosexuals, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists, Idolators HELL AWAITS YOU."

What he is guilty of is quoting a book that is thousands of years old, one that is held is the ultimate esteem by billions of people world wide. Personally I'm not comfortable with the precedent that simply by quoting a book I too could be vilified and persecuted in the same fashion. Whether you, I or someone else believes what a book says or not is irrelevant, what is relevant is that no one should ever be condemned for simply quoting a book.

Expressing outrage about something, anything, everything is essentially a modern pastime. If we look hard enough there is always something to be outraged over. When a society is social media saturated and everyone can have their own public platform they are going to have endless opportunities to complain bitterly about people saying "terrible" things. Even if the "terrible" thing was written by someone else thousands of years ago.

What strikes me as being interesting is that the countless numbers of us "Drunks, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists and Idolators" don't seem to be troubled too much by the biblical quote.


Go Dogs


"What strikes me as being interesting is that the countless numbers of us "Drunks, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists and Idolators" don't seem to be troubled too much by the biblical quote."


See my earlier re-post of Carrick Ryan's.

"4. "He also attacks drunks and fornicators, and I'm not offended"

Congratulations, you're making the same false equivalence that Israel is making.

Drinking and fornicating is a behaviour, sexuality is a state of existence.

It is who you love, how you identify as a human, and most importantly, isn't a choice.

Additionally, as a drinker and fornicator myself, I can attest to the fact I didn't face the abuse, ostracism, and alienation that pushes young LGBTQI people to the brink of suicide infinitely more than others. They are not the same thing."
 

Spoonman84

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Dragons pull pin on Israel Folau deal after extraordinary general meeting
February 3, 2021 — 7.29pm

St George Illawarra have pulled the pin on their pursuit of Israel Folau following an extraordinary general meeting on Wednesday night.

Club powerbrokers gathered late Wednesday to discuss the fallout from theFolau revelations published in the Herald on Tuesday, opting not to proceed with preliminary discussions with the 31-year-old to join the club this season on a two-year, $1 million deal.

The St George Illawarra Dragons have pulled out of the pursuit for Israel Folau. Getty Images
Sources with knowledge of discussions say some at the Dragons began having second thoughts following the backlash from the Herald’s revelations on Tuesday that the club had lodged an enquiry with the NRL about procuring the controversial code-hopper.

It was only a month ago the Dragons board unanimously supported the idea of enquiring with the NRL. The Dragons and NRL headquarters have been bombarded with fan feedback over the past two days, leaving some club officials questioning whether they should persevere with plans to try and get Folau out of his deal with Catalans Dragons.

The Dragons had been awaiting direction from head office in regards to the steps they need to take if they decide to submit a contract for registration. It became clear to the club that process would be too arduous and not worth the potential damage to the Dragons brand if they continued to fight for Folau.

The Dragons board meeting came on the eve of Thursday’s ARL Commission meeting, at which Folau’s future was meant to be a topic on the agenda.

It’s unlikely Folau will have much support on the ARL Commission if he chooses to pursue an alternative option at another NRL club, however the game’s leaders are adamant the 31-year-old’s application will be considered if a club provides the necessary paperwork.

What that paperwork needed to include was meant to be decided at Thursday’s commission meeting, with Folau likely to have had to meet with chairman Peter V’landys and chief executive Andrew Abdo as part of the process.

Folau had been in contact with Catalans over the past 24 hours to allay the Super League club’s concerns that they have been lied to by their star centre, who has asked for a release from his final year at the club on compassionate grounds to return to Australia to be closer to his sick mother-in-law.

Catalans could have demanded a transfer fee, believed to be worth around $200,000, before granting him a release. The Dragons left aside close to $400,000 in this year’s salary cap as part of a two year, $1 million proposal to the former Melbourne and Brisbane centre.

Earlier in the day Blues coach Brad Fittler joked about having Folau return to the NRL and represent NSW, where he was born, instead of playing for Queensland in this year’s State of Origin series.

“I like watching Israel Folau play footy,” Fittler said. “I don’t necessarily listen to anything he says because I don’t have social media and I am not over any of that.

“It is going to be up to the game to decide if he can play and I hope he can because I like watching him play. The couple of times I saw him play he looked as good as ever,” Fittler said. I think he will make an impact straight away.”

 

Spoonman84

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How dumb are the Dragons did they really need to put this out in the public to realise that there would be a massive backlash bringing Israel back?
 

MatstaDogg

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Dragons pull pin on Israel Folau deal after extraordinary general meeting
February 3, 2021 — 7.29pm

St George Illawarra have pulled the pin on their pursuit of Israel Folau following an extraordinary general meeting on Wednesday night.

Club powerbrokers gathered late Wednesday to discuss the fallout from theFolau revelations published in the Herald on Tuesday, opting not to proceed with preliminary discussions with the 31-year-old to join the club this season on a two-year, $1 million deal.

The St George Illawarra Dragons have pulled out of the pursuit for Israel Folau. Getty Images
Sources with knowledge of discussions say some at the Dragons began having second thoughts following the backlash from the Herald’s revelations on Tuesday that the club had lodged an enquiry with the NRL about procuring the controversial code-hopper.

It was only a month ago the Dragons board unanimously supported the idea of enquiring with the NRL. The Dragons and NRL headquarters have been bombarded with fan feedback over the past two days, leaving some club officials questioning whether they should persevere with plans to try and get Folau out of his deal with Catalans Dragons.

The Dragons had been awaiting direction from head office in regards to the steps they need to take if they decide to submit a contract for registration. It became clear to the club that process would be too arduous and not worth the potential damage to the Dragons brand if they continued to fight for Folau.

The Dragons board meeting came on the eve of Thursday’s ARL Commission meeting, at which Folau’s future was meant to be a topic on the agenda.

It’s unlikely Folau will have much support on the ARL Commission if he chooses to pursue an alternative option at another NRL club, however the game’s leaders are adamant the 31-year-old’s application will be considered if a club provides the necessary paperwork.

What that paperwork needed to include was meant to be decided at Thursday’s commission meeting, with Folau likely to have had to meet with chairman Peter V’landys and chief executive Andrew Abdo as part of the process.

Folau had been in contact with Catalans over the past 24 hours to allay the Super League club’s concerns that they have been lied to by their star centre, who has asked for a release from his final year at the club on compassionate grounds to return to Australia to be closer to his sick mother-in-law.

Catalans could have demanded a transfer fee, believed to be worth around $200,000, before granting him a release. The Dragons left aside close to $400,000 in this year’s salary cap as part of a two year, $1 million proposal to the former Melbourne and Brisbane centre.

Earlier in the day Blues coach Brad Fittler joked about having Folau return to the NRL and represent NSW, where he was born, instead of playing for Queensland in this year’s State of Origin series.

“I like watching Israel Folau play footy,” Fittler said. “I don’t necessarily listen to anything he says because I don’t have social media and I am not over any of that.

“It is going to be up to the game to decide if he can play and I hope he can because I like watching him play. The couple of times I saw him play he looked as good as ever,” Fittler said. I think he will make an impact straight away.”

I just came here to post the same thing. Oh well, guess everyone can stop talking about it now. Even Karl Stefanovic been complaining about it, and that guy is a total flog of the highest order and one to talk.
 
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