Three Sea Eagles players have ‘change of heart’ as club great left broken by boycott – Fox Sports
Three Manly players are said to have had a “change of heart” and are considering wearing the club’s pride jersey.
Initially, seven players stood down from selection for Thursday’s game against the Roosters over the club’s decision to wear a LGBTQIA kit.
Speaking on Channel 7’s Sunrise, Michelle Bishop explained “at least” three are now re-considering their actions.
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“Of the seven players who are refusing to wear the jersey, at least three now have had a bit of a change of heart and are considering wearing the pride jersey for this upcoming round,” Bishop said.
Josh Aloiai, Jason Saab, Christian Tuipulotu, Josh Schuster, Haumole Olakau’atu, Tolutau Koula and Toafofoa Sipley all initially stood down according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
The Sea Eagles are set to become the first club in NRL history to wear a LGBTQIA kit, but they’ll do it without players who object on religious and cultural grounds.
They are boycotting a show of support for diversity and inclusivity. LGBTQIA stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex and asexual people.
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Several Manly players posed in the jersey titled “everyone in league” on Monday, with rainbow colours replacing the traditional white strip.
Sean Keppie, Kieran Foran and Reuben Garrick all smiled for photos in the jersey but some of their teammates were not happy, calling the club on Monday when they first learned of it.
The disgruntled players claim they were not consulted by the club before they announced the historic strip would be worn this week.
Manly coach Des Hasler reportedly told the players he would support the decision, “understanding the difficult position the players have been put in as a result of the club not consulting them about the jersey” per the SMH.
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The club brought forward an emergency meeting from Tuesday to Monday night to try and fix the horrendous issue in a crunch game for their finals aspirations.
Sea Eagles great Ian Roberts, the first rugby league player to come out as openly gay, was hoping to attend the game this Thursday.
“I try to see it from all perspectives but this breaks my heart,” Roberts told The Daily Telegraph.
“It’s sad and uncomfortable. As an older gay man, this isn’t unfamiliar. I did wonder whether there would be any religious push back. That’s why I think the NRL have never had a Pride round.”
“I can promise you every young kid on the northern beaches who is dealing with their sexuality would have heard about this.”
The loss will cruel the Sea Eagles’ chances of making the finals, as they sit ninth and face the Roosters who are eighth on Thursday.
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