Christian NRL player Max King says Israel Folau's beliefs deserve to be valued and hopes the league will reconsider its decision to block him from re-entering the competition.
The Canterbury prop insisted "every fan and spectator" wanted to see the return of ex-State of Origin player Folau, who has been hoping to seal a mid-season move to Wests Tigers this year.
Folau's wife Maria took to social media last week to accuse Australian Rugby League Commissioner Wayne Pearce of stymying the NRL return over "inclusiveness" concerns.
The 37-year-old Folau had his multimillion-dollar Rugby Australia deal terminated in 2019 over controversial social media posts, including one that claimed "hell awaits" homosexuals.
In her Instagram video last week, former netballer Maria Folau claimed her husband's first NRL deal since 2010 would have been green-lit, but for the concerns of Balmain Tigers legend Pearce.