Anger, a photo-deleting spree and ‘no excuses’: The full, inside story of the fallout from young footy player Joshua Taylor-Myles’ vile thigh tattoos – as the foul slurs on his legs spark uproar
A footy player’s shocking thigh tattoos reading ‘eat s*** fa***t’ on one leg and ‘snortlines and f***’ on the other have divided a footy community club, because photos of him are quietly being deleted in filthy ink.
Daily Mail Australia this week exposed NSW rugby league player Joshua Taylor-Myles, 23, as the unnamed sportsman who shocked football officials with the offensive ink on his thigh.
Photos of the hooker playing football in the NSWRL Luke Lewis Cup on June 8 went viral on social media, prompting his south-west Sydney club, the Aquinas Colts, to remove the photos from social media.
At least two images of Taylor-Myles’ legs were removed from the club’s social media pages as commentators branded the tattoos ‘disgusting’ and social media users called on the athlete to laser them off.
Longtime club members are questioning how the scandal was handled.
“He should get the boot from the club if he refuses to cover up those tattoos,” a former club member told Daily Mail Australia.
“I understand, we all make mistakes, but there is hardly any reasonable excuse as to why you would ever have such offensive words thrown into your body.
‘He wouldn’t play if I was still at the club.’
One of Joshua Taylor-Myles’ tattoos reads ‘eat s**tf****t’, while the second tattoo reads ‘snort lines and f***’ (pictured above, on his thighs)
Aquinas Colts club president Brett O’Farrell (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia that Taylor-Myles will cover up the tattoos
Club chairman Brett O’Farrell insisted the club was following industry guidelines and said the messages on his legs are not the club’s views.
“We are following NSW Rugby League guidelines and that is all we would like to comment on,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
“He’s going to cover them up, I just told you.”
Taylor-Myles was named the club’s best on ground in a photo that has now been deleted from Facebook.
The father of one did not respond to questions about the tattoos.
In an unearthed photo shared on social media in 2020, a former teammate once described him as “all looks, no clue.”
On Monday morning, a spokesperson for NSWRL told Daily Mail Australia: ‘Cronulla JRL [Junior Rugby League] has issued the player an official warning and asked him to cover the offending tattoos if he wishes to continue playing in a sanctioned NSWRL competition.
‘The NSWRL and Cronulla JRL are committed to providing a safe, fun and inclusive environment for all people, including people of different sexualities and genders. Being an inclusive sport reflects not only our core values, but also the diversity of our local communities.
A photo of Taylor-Myles (far right), posted to the team’s Instagram page, disappeared shortly after the club chairman spoke to Daily Mail Australia
Taylor-Myles is pictured with his pregnant partner
“We have zero tolerance for any form of bullying, harassment or defamation towards people of different sexualities and genders.”
News Corp commentator Buzz Rothfield said the tattoos were “just disgusting”.
“They’re so insulting. It’s so homophobic. She [the club] I didn’t know,” he wrote.
“They didn’t check the leg tattoos of every player they chose in the representation side, but when a photo of the player was posted on social media they recognized it and sent it to the New South Wales Rugby League and moved on. [NSWRL CEO] Dave Trodden.
‘He jumped on it straight away. He said we have zero tolerance for any form of bullying, harassment or defamation against people of different sexualities and genders.
“They told this guy, ‘Cover them with tape or you’ll never play in a New South Wales Rugby League sanctioned competition again.’ I applaud them for coming down so hard on his nonsense.
“He plays in a club where a lot of young women and men join for the fun, for the camaraderie, and that’s just so out of place.”
Previous match reports have described Taylor-Myles as a ‘smart number 9’ and ‘tall for a hooker’.
“Taylor-Myles is known for exploding out of the ruck and being powerful enough to break the boundary,” a report said.
‘He is a well-known try scorer and often chooses the right option.’