Wednesday 18 April 2018 15:36, UK
Chiefs scrum-half Brad Weber has condemned Wallabies star Israel Folau's anti-gay comments and urged other rugby players to speak out.
Weber said he could not remain silent after Folau wrote on social media that God's plan for gay people was '"hell" unless they "repent" their sins.
"Kinda sick of us players staying quiet on some of this stuff," Weber tweeted.
"I can't stand that I have to play this game that I love with people, like Folau, who say what he's saying."
Weber, who earned his sole All Blacks cap in 2015 but has struggled with injuries since, said he was disgusted Folau, a devout Christian, was judging his loved ones.
"My cousin and her partner, and my aunty and her partner are some of the most kind, caring and loving people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing," he wrote.
"To think that I play against someone that says they'll go to hell for being gay disgusts me."
The furore has cast doubt on Folau's future with the Wallabies after he revealed this week that he had offered to walk away from the final year of his contract if Rugby Australia thought he was hurting the game.
Rugby clubs in Europe and Japan, as well as NRL teams, are reportedly interested in signing the 29-year-old.
Until Weber's comments, Folau's fellow players have been largely quiet about his remarks, aside from a message of support from his Waratahs team-mate Curtis Rona.
The Wallabies' major sponsor Qantas, which strongly backed Australia's gay marriage referendum last year, told AFP on Wednesday that there were "no changes" to the contract, which is due to expire in 2020.
