Australian Rugby superstar’s contract terminated for tweeting religious beliefs
Australia’s rugby ｕnion authorities have issued star player Israel Folau with a code of conduct breach notice over his controversial social media post….
In a statement issued Monday, Rugby Australia said the player had “committed a high-level breach of the Professional Players’ Code of Conduct warranting termination of his employment contract.”
The 30-year-old has 48 hours to accept the sanction or face a code of conduct hearing.
Last week, the Wallabies and New South Wales Waratahs fullback posted an image on Instagram [that said “Warning”] listing “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters,” reading underneath, “Hell awaits you. Repent! Only Jesus Saves” The post has not been removed.
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald after a church service on Sunday, Folau said [of his] post, which caused widespread condemnation.”I’ll stand on what the Bible says. I share it with love. I can see the other side of the coin where people’s reactions are the total opposite to how I’m sharing it.”
In April 2018, Folau — who has won 73 caps and had a contract with Rugby Australia until 2022 — was criticized for writing in an Instagram comment [to a question about what he thought] that gay people would go to hell unless they repented.
Folau, who broke the record for Super Rugby tries earlier this month, also tweeted a screenshot of the news that Tasmania last week became the first Australian jurisdiction to make gender “optional” on birth certificates.
“The devil has blinded so many people in this world, repent and turn away from your evil ways,” he captioned the screenshot. That tweet is also still active.
On Monday, Raelene Castle, Rugby Australia chief ｅxecutive, said:
“Following the events of last year, Israel was warned formally and repeatedly about the expectations of him as player for the Wallabies and NSW Waratahs with regards to social media use and he has failed to meet those obligations.
“It was made clear to him that any social media posts or commentary that is in any way disrespectful to people because of their sexuality will result in disciplinary action.”
The statewide governing body for New South Wales has “stood (Folau) down … from all player duties with the NSW Waratahs until further notice,” NSW Rugby Union said Friday. …
Folau spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper to give his take on the negative reaction his post has generated.
“I share it with love. I can see the other side of the coin where people’s reactions are the total opposite to how I’m sharing it. “First and foremost, I live for God now. Whatever He wants me to do, I believe His plans for me are better than whatever I can think. If that’s not to continue on playing, so be it.
“In saying that, obviously I love playing footy and if it goes down that path I’ll definitely miss it. But my faith in Jesus Christ is what comes first.”
Image Source: https://www.studentnewsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/israel-folau-820x461.jpg
Article Source: https://www.studentnewsdaily.com/world-current-events/world-2-australian-rugby-superstars-contract-terminated-for-tweeting-religious-beliefs/
Vocabulary:
1. breach / noun : the act or a result of breaking; break or rupture.
2. fornication / noun : voluntary sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons or two persons not married to eachother.
3. repent / verb : to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about apast action, attitude, etc. (often followed by of):
4. underneath / adverb : below; at a lower level or position; on the underside.
preposition : below the surface or level of; directly or vertically beneath; at or on the bottom of.
Questions:
1. list the who, what, where and when of the news item
2. Folau was warned by the rugby ｕnion not to post comments disrespectful to anyone. What consequences does he face for disregarding the warning and posting that particular graphic?
3. Israel Folau is a superstar rugby player. He risks losing his career if he does not take back his post and apologize. His post was referencing a biblical passage (1 Corinthians 6:9). Read his explanation under “Background” below. What do you think of his decision? Explain your answer.
4. Do you think it is wrong for a famous person to express his religious beliefs on social media? (Christians also say the bible says that any person – regardless of how good they are – who does not repent of their sins and put their trust in Jesus Christ will not go to heaven. If they believe this to be true, is it wrong for them to say this to others?) Explain your answer.
5. Could the rugby ｕnion say they are not responsible for the social media posts of their players, or are they right to put limits on what a player can or cannot post? Explain your answer.
