Footy star Jarome Luai’s dad is BANNED from social media after shocking post about his son set off a firestorm
Jarome Luai’s father has been banned from using Instagram by his wife after a social media post sparked uproar among Wests Tigers fans.
The drama unfolded after the Tigers suffered a humiliating 64-0 loss to the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park on Sunday afternoon.
Shortly after fulltime, Martin Luai took to Instagram and posted a message that read, ‘Get out clause activated,’ accompanied by an eyes emoji and a facepalm.
The phrase referenced the player option clause in his son’s $6million contract with the Tigers, allowing Luai to test the open market at the end of the 2026 season.
Although the post was deleted not long after being published, the damage was done.
Fans, media outlets and Luai’s management were quick to respond to the implication that the star five-eighth may be looking for an early exit.
Jarome Luai was Wests Tigers prize recruit in the off-season but he has clauses in his contract to leave early
His father Martin had joked he should enact one of those clauses, ending with his wife banning him from Instagram
Wests Tigers have plenty of soul searching to do after being belted 64-0 by the Melbourne Storm
Speaking to Channel Nine on Monday, Martin insisted the post was never meant to be taken seriously.
‘A bit of banter between family and friends,’ he said.
‘And somehow got into the hands of the media, who screenshot it and sent it to Romey’s management.’
He claimed no one from the club contacted him and that he chose to delete the post after realising it was about to become public.
But he did take the time to post a cheeky follow-up story on Tuesday afternoon.
‘Sorry friends and family,’ he wrote.
‘My wife has banned me from further banter on Insta… #isbebostillathing?’
The gag came after Luai himself had to address concerns about his long-term future with the Tigers earlier this year.
Luai has no immediate plans on leaving the club and wants to help steer the NRL battlers back into the finals
The original post from Luai’s dad that caused all the furore despite only being meant for the eyes of close friends and family
When news of the contract clause first emerged, Luai said he was focused on proving himself in new colours.
‘I’ve got a point to prove here – not to anyone else but to myself,’ he said in January.
The timing of Martin’s post could not have been worse for the struggling club. Head coach Benji Marshall had already slammed his players for their lack of effort following the loss.
‘We’ve built standards we want to live by, and today we didn’t live by any of them,’ Marshall said.
‘There’s losing a game, and then there’s being beaten – and we got beaten today.’
Captain Api Koroisau also labelled the performance a wake-up call.
‘You’re never as good as you think you are,’ he told media after the match.
‘We’ve got to look at how we prepare and fix it.’
The defeat was the equal-largest in Melbourne’s club history, matching a 64-0 win over the Tigers back in 2001. Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen scored four tries and broke a club record with 36 points in the rout.
Adding to the controversy, Luai has been embroiled in recent drama involving teammate Lachlan Galvin.
Last week, Luai responded to Galvin’s contract standoff with a cryptic Instagram post and said the pair ‘don’t have to be mates’ to play together.
While Martin Luai’s post may have been intended as harmless humour, it poured fuel on an already smouldering situation at Concord.
With the Tigers sitting five wins from ten and pressure mounting, one thing is now clear – Martin Luai won’t be posting about the team anytime soon.
