Rising football star Joshua Taylor-Myles has decided to cover up his offensive thigh tattoos after being warned he could be banned from the sport.
The 23-year-old hooker, who plays for the Aquinas Colts in south-west Sydney, posted a photo from inside a tattoo parlour on her Instagram on Saturday.
In the photo, two artists are seen inking elaborate illustrations over the ‘eat s**t fa***t’ tattoo on her right thigh and the ‘snort lines and f***’ tattoo on her left.
It comes less than two weeks after Taylor-Myles was given an ultimatum: either cover up the offending ink or risk being banned from any NSWRL competition.
A NSWRL spokesperson previously told Daily Mail Australia that the father-of-one had been given an official warning and asked to cover up the tattoos.
‘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. Being an inclusive sport not only reflects our core values, but also reflects the diversity of our local communities,’ the spokesperson said.
“We have zero tolerance for any form of bullying, harassment or defamation towards people of diverse sexualities and genders.”
The tattoos caused a stir after Taylor-Myles was selected to play in the NSWRL’s Luke Lewis Cup and an image of the ink went viral on social media.
Joshua Taylor-Myles posted this photo on Instagram of two artists making elaborate illustrations of the “eat s**t fa***t” tattoo and the “snort lines and f***” tattoo on their thighs. .
Joshua Taylor-Myles (pictured) was told to cover up the ink or risk being banned from the sport.
It is understood Cronulla officials only became aware of the highly offensive tattoos when a photo of them circulated on social media.
At least two images of Taylor-Myles’ legs were deleted from the club’s social media pages as commentators branded the tattoos “disgusting” and social media users called for the athlete to have them lasered off.
Longtime club members have questioned how the scandal has been handled.
“He should be kicked out of the club if he refuses to cover up those tattoos,” one former club member told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I get it, we all make mistakes, but there is no reasonable excuse for someone to tattoo such offensive words on their body.
“He wouldn’t play if I was still at the club.”
News Corp commentator Buzz Rothfield said the tattoos were “simply vile”.
A NSWRL spokesperson previously told Daily Mail Australia that the father-of-one (pictured) had been given an official warning and asked to cover up the tattoos.
“They are very offensive. It’s very homophobic. They didn’t realise. They didn’t check the tattoos on the legs of each player they selected for the representative teams, but when they posted a picture of the player on social media, they recognised it and sent it to the New South Wales Rugby League. Good for Dave Trodden,” he said.
Rothfield said Trodden, the NSWRL chief executive, “hit the ground running”.
“He said we have zero tolerance for any form of harassment, bullying or defamation towards people of diverse sexualities and genders,” he continued.
“They’ve told this guy, ‘Cover them in duct tape or you’ll never play in a NSW Rugby League sanctioned competition again.'” I applaud them for coming down so hard on their rubbish.
“He plays in a club where there are a lot of young men and women who are involved for fun, for the camaraderie and it’s just out of place.”