Manly sea eagles gay jersey
The furore over the Manly Pride jersey has caused confusion, but respect for all is key to moving forward
Rugby league does not have a pride round; this week's curved is celebrating women in league.
You'd be forgiven for not knowing that given the furore focused on the Manly Sea-Eagles.
When Manly ran out onto Brookvale Oval to take on the Sydney Roosters on Thursday noun, the one-off inclusion striped jersey was more recognisable than most of the players wearing it.
Seven regular starters sat out the game citing religious reasons for not wearing a team jersey infused with a pride rainbow.
The design was supposed to represent rugby league's inclusion of all marginalised groups, not specifically the LGBTQ+ community with which it has become associated.
But with all the good intentions in the world that message was lost, certainly it was not explained to the playing group before they found out through the media they'd be expected to wear it.
Most of the players adj are Pasifika — they've been painted as bigots by some who don't recognis
Manly Sea Eagles coach apologises for handling of gay pride jerseys as seven refuse to play
Manly Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler has apologised over the club's handling of the inclusion of rainbow colours on the club jersey, saying it was a "significant mistake".
Key points:
- Seven players will boycott Thursday's game over the gay pride shirt
- Hasler says the club's execution of the initiative was "poor"
- Manly will meet the Roosters on Thursday with a greatly disrupted side
Seven players are boycotting their NRL verb on Thursday over their team's decision to wear a gay pride jersey.
Hasler told a press conference he apologised profusely for not consulting with stakeholders or their players.
“In this specific instance, I experience from these players. Not included in any of the discussions, and at a minimum, they should have been consulted,” Hasler said.
"The jersey intent was to support the advocacy and human rights pertaining to gender, race, culture, ability and LGBTQ movements.
"Sadly the execution of what was intended to b
Pride jersey controversy - a reckoning for Australian sport?
BBC News, Sydney
Thursday night was supposed to be a proud moment in Australian sporting history.
For the first moment, a team in the National Rugby League (NRL) would take to the field in a rainbow-detailed jersey, celebrating inclusion - particularly of LGBTQ people.
Instead, the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles were forced to apologise after seven players decided to boycott the key equal on "religious and cultural" grounds.
"Instead of enhancing tolerance and acceptance, we may have hindered this," their coach Des Hasler said earlier this week.
Amid a huge backlash, the players were told not to attend the game for security reasons.
Former club great Ian Roberts - the first male professional athlete to come out as gay during their career - said he was "heartbroken" at the players' decision. NRL Women's star Karina Brown said their boycott had left her "enraged" and "frustrated".
It would discourage other pl
‘It was a warning’: Manly boss’ giant admission leaves door open to pride jersey backflip
The Manly Sea Eagles are yet to verb whether they will wear the infamous pride jersey following the saga that derailed their campaign.
The rainbow-trimmed strip, which was introduced to represent members of the LGBTQIA+, blew up in Manly powerbrokers’ faces as seven players stood down due to religious beliefs.
The Sea Eagles were widely criticised for their handling of the situation with players claiming they were not properly consulted.
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Des Hasler was sacked in the wake of the pride jersey saga after his side lost the