ISRAEL FULAU. RUGBY AUSTRALIA. AND GREED!
A lot of people will not have heard of Israel Fulau. He is just another greedy, homophobic, but brilliant football player who believes that God talks directly through him. When Rugby Australia terminated his multi-million dollar contract for a second breach of his contractual obligations, this millionaire created a GoFundMe page to raise $3 million to fight for his legal rights. This is a man with over six million dollars of property in his investment portfolio. He has been said to have been one of the highest paid rugby players of his time.
He believes that he has the right to post (in complete and total breach of his RA contract) that he can spread his extreme christian views regardless of previous warnings and counselings by Rugby Australia.
And here is, by comparison to most, a rich man asking for charity to defend his high paying lifestyle by claiming that his freedom of religion and freedom of speech is of higher value than his responsibility to his brothers and sisters.
When he posted his GoFundMe page, which has been taken down for (yet another) breach of terms and conditions, he posted this disclaimer:
Folau’s disclaimer reads: “In making this contribution I acknowledge that my contributions are made freely as a gift on the basis previously affirmed and that there will be no obligations on Israel Folau to do anything for me in recognition of the gift or to apply the funds in any particular way with respect to his legal action, and that I hold no expectation to receive anything in return for my contribution.”
So how is that one for greed! This millionaire, who is a member of a pretty right-wing fundamentalist church with fewer than 50 worshippers, is saying “Well, I don’t have to spend it on my defence, and I don’t have to give any of it back.†Pretty good huh? Surely there are thousands of people who have been helped back onto their feet by generous people who perhaps helped to pay for a family car, or for an operation, or for the treatment and research into any of many debilitating illnesses. GoFundMe pages have been used to raise money for the homeless and the needy.
After the page was taken down due to a breach of conditions it was not the end. The right wing, Canberra based Australian Christian Lobby headed by Jim Walllace, an ex Brigadier resurrected the page to raise funds. This Jim Wallace is the same man who, on ANZAC day in 2011 made demeaning comments about gay people and Islam in saying “: “Just hope that as we remember Servicemen and women today we remember the Australia they fought for — wasn’t gay marriage and Islamic!” Jim Wallace is still the head of the Australian Christian Lobby, which is a similar organisation to the American right wing christian lobby.
Fulau and his lobbyists seem to be doing very well raising funds. But how in God’s name is it OK for the Australian Christian Lobby to chuck in $100k and resurrect the page, when it is clear that the original page was in breach of the GoFundMe terms and conditions? Does the removal of one not necessitate the removal of the other, given that they both have the same goal in mind?
Now, although I once thought of Fulau as a brilliant football player, as a human being, and as a greedy avaricious man with no real sense of conscience he is a man to be despised. Not for his personal views, but for his proclamations and so-called bible quotes which have been the catalyst for igniting once again the fire of hatred against gay people among others.
Personally I don’t give a tinker’s cuss about Israel Fulau’s nasty views. I don’t actually give a tinker’s cuss about Israel Fulau personally. He is a grub of a man. He is a greedy, avaricious man. (For whom there are many bible quotes too.) Try this one.
Whoever loves money never has enough;whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.This too is meaningless.
Or this from Luke 12.15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.â€
In the spirit of my own personal belief in freedom of speech and freedom of religion I have a right to rise up against this man’s piece of garbage and state that he is, in reality a greedy and avaricious man with little or no conscience and little or no care for his fellow man or woman. This is obvious in his posts which I cannot bring myself to repeat here, so Mr Google will have to be your friend.
Almost certainly there will be those who not only disagree with this point of view and they will be wrong. They will be wrong because this is NOT about freedom of speech and freedom of religion as Fulau spends his time bleating. It is about Rugby Australia and a contract. Fulau had already been warned and counselled, and that a second warning would not be given. He was in fact IN BREACH OF HIS CONTRACT. That is the entire crux of the matter. It should not be in question. It is a simple breach of contract according to the reading of it:
The relevant provisions of the Code that Folau breached are as follows:
1.3: Treat everyone equally, fairly and with dignity regardless of gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, cultural or religious background, age or disability. Any form of bullying, harassment or discrimination has no place in Rugby.
1.7: Use Social Media appropriately. By all means share your positive experiences of Rugby but do not use Social Media as a means to breach any of the expectations and requirements of you as a player contained in this Code or in any Union, club or competition rules and regulations.
1.8: Do not otherwise act in a way that may adversely affect or reflect on, or bring you, your team, club, Rugby Body or Rugby into disrepute or discredit. If you commit a criminal offence, this is likely to adversely reflect on you and your team, club, Rugby Body and Rugby.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-11/israel-folau-slammed-over-latest-anti-gay-comments/10991574
