The Cronulla junior rugby league player whose “vile” tattoos sparked controversy last month has revealed he’s covered them up on a trip to Bali.
The man revealed as 23-year-old Joshua Taylor-Myles, who plays hooker for the Aquinas Colts, ignited a furore over his offensive tattoos and was told to cover them up or be banned from playing in a NSW Rugby League-sanctioned competition.
The tattoos, which were high up on the front of his thigh read “eat s**t f****t” while ”snort lines and f***” was written on the other leg.
Watch every game of every round this NRL Telstra Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
At the time, Rothfield admitted officials didn’t realise the nature of the tattoos until a photo of the player was posted on social media when he was selected to play in the Luke Lewis Cup.
But Taylor-Myles took to Instagram to show he’d covered up the tattoos during a trip to Bali recently.
In a series of photos, Taylor-Myles posted a picture of the outline before sharing the finished product, which appears to be a roaring bear and a Viking.
He posted another outside the Finns beach club with the message: “Gone but not forgotten”.
It came after Taylor-Myles faced a ban from the game by the NSWRL.
“The NSWRL and Cronulla JRL are committed to providing a safe, fun and inclusive environment for all people, including those of diverse sexualities and genders,” a spokesperson told The Daily Mail.
“Being an inclusive sport not only reflects our core values, it also reflects the diversity of our local communities.”
The furore erupted when photos of the tattoos began circulating social media.
They were soon wiped from the club’s social media pages but the drama had already erupted.
One member of the club told The Daily Mail that Taylor-Myles “should get the boot from the club if he refuses to cover those tattoos”.
When the scandal erupted, The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield slammed the tattoos as “just vile”.
“They are so offensive. It is so homophobic. They didn’t realise,” Rothfield said. “They didn’t check the leg tattoos of every player they pick in rep sides but when a photo was put up on social media of the player, they recognised it and sent it to the New South Wales Rugby League and good on Dave Trodden.
“He jumped on it straight away. He said we have zero tolerance for any form of bullying, harassment or vilification towards people with diverse sexualities and genders.
“They’ve said to this bloke, ‘Cover them up with tape or you will not play in a New South Wales Rugby League-sanctioned competition ever again’. I applaud them for coming down so hard on his rubbish.
“He plays in a club where there are a lot of young women and men who participate for the enjoyment, for the camaraderie and it’s just so out of order.”