SYDNEY (Reuters) - Wallabies fullback Israel Folau rejected a A$1 million (532,822 pounds) offer from Rugby Australia to walk away from his contract ahead of this weekend's code of conduct hearing, local media reported on Sunday.
Folau, a fundamentalist Christian, on Saturday faced a three-member panel who will decide whether he breached RA's code of conduct with a social media post that said "hell" awaited "drunks, homosexuals, adulterers" and others.
The hearing will continue on Sunday with no decision expected before Monday at the earliest but the Sunday Telegraph reported that Folau could have avoided it if he had agreed to accept a sum equivalent to one year of his lucrative contract.
RA and Folau's Super Rugby team, the New South Wales Waratahs, have already publicly committed to terminating Folau's contract and last month served the 73-test back with a "high-level" breach notice.
That said his social media post had 'disrespected' people on the basis of their sexuality in breach of his contract and Rugby Australia's inclusion policy.
Folau was issued a formal warning after a similar post last year but attempts by Rugby Australia to include specific clauses about social media posts in the contract the player signed in February were rejected, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
The record Super Rugby try-scorer's high powered legal team will argue that Folau was merely quoting scripture and not directly disrespecting any individual, the newspaper added.
Folau, RA chief executive Raelene Castle and Wallabies coach Michael Cheika all gave "oral evidence" on day one of the hearing, the governing body said in a statement.
The offending post, which has attracted 53,000 'likes' and 47,700 comments, remains on Folau's Instagram page (www.instagram.com/izzyfolau/).
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Peter Rutherford)