‘He was just quoting the Bible’: Israel Folau’s relatives defend rugby star's 'anti-gay' posts

Friends and family members of Israel Folau’s have voiced their support for the disgraced Australian rugby international, claiming he was simply quoting the Bible when posting on social media that "hell awaits" homosexuals.

Folau’s nearest and dearest have spoken in the player’s defence claiming that the Wallabies fullback didn’t commit any crime by quoting the Christian book.

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“He didn’t post the post or say what he said out of malice, it’s words that come straight from the bible,” Folau’s cousin Josiah said.

“The important thing for us is not so much the outcome but that the glory of God is revealed through this situation and that his truth is preached to the whole world,” he added.

“He doesn’t care how he’ll be persecuted in this world, where it’s temporary,” Folau’s friend Evelyn Hema said.

“But it’s in the afterlife when we all die… Everything that he does is out of love. Because he’s in the public eye, it’s gone out there to the world and they will see it as hate speech.”

On Saturday, the rugby star faced a three-member panel who will decide whether he breached Rugby Australia’s code of conduct by sharing a social media post saying that “hell awaits” all sinners, including homosexuals.

The code of conduct hearing will continue on Tuesday after no decision was reached over the weekend.

The 30-year-old player earlier rejected Rugby Australia’s AU$1 million peace settlement, a sum equivalent to one year of his contract. Last year, the rugby star was also at the center of an anti-gay controversy after stating that gay people will go to hell “unless they repent of their sins and turn to God.”