Airline continues to back RA
Qantas will stand by Rugby Australia and honour its major sponsorship agreement following the governing body’s decision to not take action against Israel Folau over his anti-gay comments in an Instagram post earlier this month.
Fairfax Media reported yesterday that RA chief executive Raelene Castle was satisfied with the ‘‘respectful’’ way in which the Wallabies’ highest-paid player clarified his remarks .
The piece, written for The Players Voice, detailed how Folau told Castle he was prepared to walk away from the game if RA officials wanted him to.
Despite this, Castle and RA are satisfied with his comments and confirmed there would no sanctions imposed on the 29-year-old.
‘‘In his article,
Israel clearly articulated his religious beliefs and why his faith is important to him and has provided context behind his social media comment,’’ said Castle in a statement. ‘‘In his own words, Israel said that he did not intend to upset people intentionally or bring hurt to the game. We accept Israel’s position.
‘‘Rugby Australia will use this experience as an opportunity to remind all employees of their obligation to use social media in a respectful way.’’
Last week, Qantas expressed its disappointment at Folau’s comments.
There had been speculation Qantas would revoke its sponsorship of the Wallabies. However, Fairfax Media has been told the airline company will stick with Rugby Australia until its current deal ends in 2020.
It is unclear whether other sponsors affiliated with Rugby Australia will jump ship, but there is every likelihood this latest decision by the game’s governing body will be the end of issue, perhaps until Folau says something of a similar nature.
A spokesperson for ASICS, another major partner of RA, said the company did not want to comment.
It is believed RA told major sponsors last week it was planning on disciplining Folau given it has come under major pressure from fans and media.
Yesterday morning, some sponsors told Fairfax Media they believed Folau was about to receive a breach notice at any moment. Instead, the opposite happened.