Peter FitzSimons has claimed Israel Folau ‘realises he’s been had’ by Christianity after the latter showed his support for Kane Evans.
The controversial cross-code footy star stunned footy fans by sending former NRL player Kane Evans a message of support after he came out as gay.
Folau’s reaction came as a shock after he was sacked by Rugby Australia for publishing controversial anti-LGBTQ+ commentary in 2019.
The former Melbourne Storm and GWS Giants star’s statement on Evans’ post has been liked more than 80 times.
And FitzSimons has put Folau’s turnaround down to a couple of factors in a post on X.
‘All that hellfire stuff must have been nigh on ten years ago now,’ he wrote.
Peter FitzSimons has claimed Israel Folau ‘realised he’d been had’ by Christianity after the latter showed support for Kane Evans
Folau (pictured with wife Maria) has backed Kane Evans after the former Roosters star came out as gay on Monday
Kane Evans revealed he is gay in an emotional interview on Monday
‘Likely Folau has just grown up, and realised he’d been had – at tremendous cost to his career.’
FitzSimons also responded to a question on the platform as one user asked, ‘So all gays are not going to hell now?’ to which he responded, ‘Seems so.’
Folau’s support of Evans wasn’t exactly met with universal support as it drew some negative reactions, with footy fans taking aim at him for what they saw as hypocrisy.
‘This is a bit rich buddy,’ one person wrote.
‘Didn’t you get stripped of your whole career for standing on beliefs? Here you are commenting on a gay guy’s post,’ another commented.
‘That doesn’t work when his beliefs call for the death of homosexual people,’ added a third.
Folau was sacked by Rugby Australia after an independent tribunal found him guilty of a high-level breach of the players’ code of conduct for publishing an Instagram post saying ‘hell awaits’ homosexual people.
After the decision was handed down, Folau took legal action against Rugby Australia and sought $14million in damages.
The former Wallaby claimed his dismissal was an unlawful termination as a result of his religious beliefs.
Both parties then reached a confidential, out-of-court settlement that was reportedly worth millions of dollars to Folau.
The NRL responded to the scandal over Folau’s ‘hell awaits’ remark by saying he would not be allowed to sign a contract to play in the league.
‘Israel Folau fails the NRL’s inclusiveness culture, which is a policy strongly supported by the ARLC,’ then-Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter Beattie said.
The news comes just after Folau was reportedly blocked from making a return to the NRL.
The 37-year-old was believed to be in talks with the Wests Tigers in relation to making a stunning return – but new reports have suggested the club has said no.
It was claimed the controversial superstar could leave Urayasu D-Rocks in the Japanese rugby competition to join the NRL club on a train-and-trial contract.
The Tigers reportedly refused to consider signing him, and it is not known whether Folau is trying to sign with any other NRL teams.
