Australian National Rugby League (NRL) side St George Illawarra Dragons have ended talks to sign former Wallabies fullback Israel Folau, the team said.
St George Illawarra came under fire after they sought permission from the league to sign the 31-year-old, who has triggered outrage with inflammatory social media posts in the past.
"While the Dragons did enquire about signing Folau, the club can confirm that such discussions have now ceased," the team said in a statement.
"The Dragons will make no further comment."
Folau is contracted to French side Catalans Dragons in the Super League until the end of 2021.
A fundamentalist Christian, Folau had his Wallabies and Super Rugby deals terminated in 2019 after he posted a meme that said hell awaited "drunks, homosexuals, adulterers" and others.
Pride in Sport, an organisation that supports Australian sporting bodies and clubs on LGBTQ inclusion, had said they expected St George Illawarra to have a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination against LGBTQ people if Folau joined.
Folau, who previously represented Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos in the NRL, made 15 appearances for the Catalans in the 2020 Super League season.
He is currently back in Australia after his wife gave birth to their first child.
(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen Coates)
