Australian cricketer James Faulkner has denied he's gay, saying the social media posts that lead to widespread reporting he'd come out of the closet were "misinterpreted".
Faulkner appeared to have revealed he was gay with a post to Instagram, where he was pictured with a man he called his "boyfriend".
"Birthday dinner with the boyfriend @robjubbsta and my mother @roslyn_carol_faulkner #togetherfor5years," Faulkner said.
He's since edited the post, adding the term "best mate!!!", and has also removed the hashtag.
The 29-year-old followed that up with another post to confirm that he wasn't actually the first openly gay Australian cricketer.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding about my post from last night," Faulkner wrote.
"I am not gay, however it has been fantastic to see the support from and for the LBGT community. Let's never forget love is love, however @robjubbsta is just a great friend.
"Last night marked five years of being housemates! Good on everyone for being so supportive."
Cricket Australia has addressed the incident with statement on its website, insisting the post wasn't a joke and apologising for any offence it may have caused.
"His comment was made as a genuine reflection of his relationship with his business partner, best friend and housemate of five years," a CA spokesperson said.
"James and CA are supportive of the LGBQTI community, and recognises coming out can be an incredibly emotional time. The post was not in any way meant to make light of this, though the support from the community was overwhelming and positive.
"Cricket Australia apologises for any unintended offence."
The initial post prompted a wave of public support from players, past and present.
Glenn Maxwell replied to it saying "great courage", while Shaun Tait echoed those sentiments with "great courage mate, bet u feel better".
Faulkner has played 67 one-day internationals for Australia, after making his debut against the West Indies in 2013.
He was named man of the match in the World Cup final win against New Zealand in 2015.
Newshub.
