Rugby Australia implemented extra security measures at its headquarters last year and contacted police after then chief executive Raelene Castle received a death threat from an Israel Folau supporter.
From the moment Folau, the former Wallabies fullback and highest-paid player in the country, sent out a controversial Instagram comment in 2018 that read, "HELL" when asked what God's plans were for gay people, Rugby Australia was faced with an incredibly difficult situation.
After much debate, Rugby Australia warned Folau before offering to sign him on a multi-year contract just a few months later.
However, when Folau doubled down with another anti-gay post, in the form of an Instagram image, Castle and Rugby Australia came down hard, with Folau subjected to a three-day code of conduct hearing at RA's offices in Moore Park.
The Sydney Morning Herald revealed that around this period, Castle received a death threat on Facebook from a Folau supporter.
All death threats are taken seriously but this one alarmed both Castle and RA, who had been copping both criticism and praise for their handling of the Folau case.
According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Rugby Australia decided it needed to have extra security in the building for Castle's protection.
It is unclear how much money was spent on upgrading security measures but the reaction was swift.
There were concerns the person who made the threat, or another individual, would try and make their way into the Rugby Australia building, and staff were told not to prop open doors on the lower level of the building.
Meanwhile, Castle's own home in Sydney was reviewed to make sure it was safe from a security perspective.
It is unclear whether the death threat had any specific reference to Castle's home address.
[Source: Stuff.co.nz]
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