Japan captain lambasts Folau for controversial Instagram post
RESENDIG WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: SAPPORO, JAPAN (APRIL 11, 2019) (INSTAGRAM / MICHAEL_LEITCH – NO RESALES.
MUST ON SCREEN COURTESY INSTAGRAM/ @MICHAEL_LEITCH) (SOUNDBITE)(English) JAPAN RUGBY UNION CAPTAIN MICHAEL LEITCH, SAYING: “Israel Folau, I am calling you out.
I thought your first comment regarding gays going to hell was outrageous but this latest post is…you know this is out of the gate and I think it is so wrong on so many levels.
I respect your religion and what you believe in but, you know, using social media to, to almost preach your views that, you know, connects to so many people and everyone is not the same.
There are so many people out there that are homosexual, atheists, people that drink for different reasons, there’s people out there that are struggling with mental health.
So to go out and say that if you are a homosexual or one of those types of people you are going to hell, you know, that’s a real stab in the heart and we live in a real sensitive society at the moment and I don’t think your…” STORY: Japan’s rugby captain Michael Leitch has condemned Israel Folau for comments he made on social media that will probably see him sacked by his Australian employers.
Folau posted on Instagram that homosexuals – among others – were destined for hell unless they repented.
The 30-year-old fullback, a fundamentalist Christian, posted similar comments last year but escaped sanction and signed a new deal through 2022 with RA in February.
That multi-million dollar contract looks certain to be torn up unless Folau can convince RA and the New South Wales Waratahs that there are “compelling mitigating factors” for his posts.
Also taking to Instagram in a short video post, Leitch – who was born in New Zealand but moveed to Japan when he was 15 – described Folau’s comments as “wrong on so many levels”.