TJ Perenara's wife has added her voice to the debate over what rugby players should and should not publicly speak about.
Radio host Sean Plunket on Wednesday said that Perenara was "getting a little woke" for his liking, after the halfback told LGBTQIA+ magazine Express he believed the All Blacks would welcome a gay team member.
"Our job is to make sure that people from all communities feel comfortable enough to aspire to want to be an All Black, so I would hope that if anyone from the LGBTQIA+ community became an All Black, they would feel accepted and wanted in the environment," Perenara told the magazine.
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But Plunket thought speaking on social issues was outside Perenara's job description.
"You pass the ball very well, but I am not interested in your views on all these other things," Plunket said on Magic Talk.
Now, the All Black's wife, Greer Perenara, has weighed in, saying, "Rugby has changed from what it used to be."
"People criticised them for just being 'rugby heads' just 'passing a ball' for a living. Now that they are actually actioning positive change ya'll still aren't satisfied," she tweeted on Thursday.
"These young men realise they have a platform and a voice that can positively initiate change for good. Whether that's in mental health, men's health, support for our queer communities they're changing the game."
She added: "These men/women are more than rugby and that's what I'm most proud of with my husband."
"@TJ_Perenara keep being you. Keep pushing for better. Keep speaking up, Ain't no one got time for ignorance these days."
Greer's views echoed those of Perenara's mother, Fiona Perenara, who on Thursday wrote on Facebook that she was proud of her son for being "more than just a rugby player".
"He has learnt that we must ensure we are all ok," she wrote. "No one is left behind."
"No one should be reeling in riches, while others can't put food on the table. Everyone should have the right to fall in love and be loved."
Perenara himself has remained mum on the topic. Choosing instead, it seems, to focus on the job at hand in Japan: Bringing home the World Cup.
Newshub.
