Do we like Israel Folau?
Our score: 2 out of 10. His own posts and sermons about gay people and the bushfires fail the harm test, and we found no verified good works to balance them.
Folau was a code-hopping star who ended up on a four-year Rugby Australia contract. In 2019 that deal was terminated over social media posts the game found offensive. Soon after, the NRL chair Peter Beattie said Folau would not be considered for registration, because the posts clashed with the game's values.
He declined to appeal the termination and then took Rugby Australia to court, reportedly seeking $14 million. After court-ordered mediation, the sides announced a confidential settlement in December 2019. Rugby Australia said it did not agree with the post and apologised for hurt to the Folaus. Folau said the post reflected his genuinely held religious beliefs, that he does not condone discrimination, and he apologised for any harm to rugby.
Here's the harm check, and it's the one that sinks him. In October 2019 he told an Australian Christian Lobby conference he knew his comments would be “offensive to a lot of people” and that he would “absolutely” say them again. A month later a sermon tied the bushfires and drought to same-sex marriage and abortion. Faith alone isn't the issue here: plenty of religious people pass this test. The problem is what he chose to say to gay people, and when.
The recent chapter is a comeback saga. In June 2026 Maria Folau said in a video that Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall wanted him, but the club hit a roadblock after the NRL reportedly refused to register a contract. Almost all of that comes through her account, and we found no NRL statement. The Family First Party, which published a defence of him, argues he has not committed a crime and calls it ideological discrimination.
On the good stuff, honestly, we came up short. Supporters say he is a man of conviction who lost a career for his faith. But we found no verified charity work or kind acts in the reporting we could open. That's the whole list. A sacking and a settlement don't count as good deeds, whichever side you're on.
So: would we support him? Not on this record. His own words about gay people and the bushfires are the best-documented thing about him, and he has said he would repeat them. Nothing we read shows him mistreating colleagues, which is why the good-person test is a close call rather than a fail. But it isn't enough to balance the harm.