Manly Sea Eagles Players Who Boycotted Pride Jersey Speak Up
Image: The pride jerseys that started it all. Photo: Manly Warringah Sea Eagles/Facebook
Manly Sea Eagles footballers who boycotted the pride jersey and upset the club’s season have broken their silence, claiming that they have no regrets.
Back in July this year, the NRL club’s season was thrown into chaos as seven players decided to stand down from the match against the Sydney Roosters in Round 20 in protest against the rainbow jersey that the club introduced.
The seven players cited that the decision was made on religious and cultural grounds.
Breaking Their Silence
One of the Manly boycotters, Sea Eagles forward and currently representing Tonga at the Rugby League World Cup, Haumole Olakau’atu has said he doesn’t regret it.
“It was really difficult,” he said to the Daily Telegraph.
“I don’t know what else to say. I hope everyone just respects our decision and moves on. My faith comes first before anything. It is who I am.”
“I called my parents after finding out about the jersey that night and they said just to follow my heart. It made it 10 times easier, especially growing up in a religious family.”
Faith Is Top Priority
Manly forward Josh Schuster spoke to 9News and stated that his faith would always be a top priority to him.
“It was a difficult period, but I put my faith and personal beliefs first,” he said.
“Like I said before, my personal beliefs and faith come first.”
Attacked On Social Media
Toluta’u Koula, Manly’s young gun, stated that as a result of the pride jersey drama, he’s been targeted on social media.
“There was some hate out there but I tried not to pay too much attention to it,” Koula told News Corp.
“It was a rollercoaster of a season to say the least.”
“During that period I tried to stay off social media as much as I could. It was pretty tough not winning too many games at the back end of the season. I think the main thing for us boys was trying to stay closer to each other.”
The Sea Eagles’ season ended with seven consecutive losses, making them miss out on the finals, and has since sparked rumours of resentment brewing within the Manly camp.
