Israel Folau and Rugby Australia’s long-running dispute over his sacking for homophobic posts on social media has finally been settled.
Folau, who played 74 Tests for the Wallabies, had been suing RA for £7.4million after having his contract ripped up in May. He had previously been warned about his social media posts.
After long negotiations, the two parties reached a settlement — the amount of which is confidential — and Folau has said he had been “vindicated”.
RA, Folau and NSW Rugby issued a joint statement saying the posts reflected the player’s “genuinely held religious beliefs” and that he “did not intend to harm or offend any person when he uploaded the post”.
“While it was not RA’s intention, RA acknowledges and apologises for any hurt or harm caused to the Folaus. Similarly, Mr Folau did not intend to hurt or harm the game of rugby and acknowledges and apologises for any hurt or harm caused,” read the statement.
