https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-25/nrl-manly-facing-player-revolt-over-pride-jersey/101268552Several Manly players are considering boycotting Thursday night's match with the Sydney Roosters over the Sea Eagles' decision to wear a gay pride jersey in the fixture.
The Sea Eagles announced on Sunday night that they would wear an LGBTQIA+ jersey for the match, with a rainbow design replacing the strip's white hoops.
But that decision has caused some unrest among players who are unhappy they were not consulted by club management.
Kieran Foran, Reuben Garrick and Sean Keppie were among those to help launch the strip but other players claim they learned about the move over social media on Sunday night.
Their concerns relate to questions that could arise from within their respective cultures.
Manly's management were to meet over the issue on Tuesday but that was set to be rushed forward to Monday night.
Club great Ian Roberts, who in 1995 became the first rugby league player to come out as openly gay, told The Daily Telegraph he was disappointed by the response of the players not willing to wear the jersey.
"I try to see it from all perspectives but this breaks my heart," Roberts said.
"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."
Manly is a rich upper class suburb in Northern Sydney.
Rugby League is a working class game.
A huge majority of the players in the league are Pacific Islanders from conservative religious backgrounds (Mormons and the like). Manly has more than a few Pacific Islanders in their team.
Manly decides to launch the jersey exclusively using blokes that look like this:
But they didn't bother consulting with or even telling the guys that look like this:
And now they are stuck in a situation where "several" players are refusing to wear the jersey and most likely won't play in the next game.
