Joshua Taylor-Myles – who sparked outrage with his offensive tattoos – takes big step after ultimatum

Rising footy star Joshua Taylor-Myles has chosen to hide 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 Sydney’s south-west, posted a photo from inside a tattoo studio to his Instagram on Saturday.

The photo shows two artists creating intricate illustrations on the ‘eat s**t fa***t’ tattoo on his right thigh and the ‘snort lines and f***’ tattoo on his left thigh.

It comes less than two weeks after Taylor-Myles was given an ultimatum: he must cover up the offending ink or risk being banned from any NSWRL competition.

A spokesperson for NSWRL previously told Daily Mail Australia 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 different sexualities and genders. Being an inclusive sport not only reflects our core values, but also the diversity of our local communities,” the spokesperson said.

‘We do not tolerate any form of bullying, intimidation or vilification of people with different sexual orientations and genders.’

The tattoos caused a stir after Taylor-Myles was selected to play in the NSWRL Luke Lewis Cup and an image of the ink went viral on social media.

Taylor-Myles shared photos of the process of getting the tattoos covered up on Saturday

Joshua Taylor-Myles (pictured) was told to cover up the ink – which read ‘eat s***t fa***t’ and ‘snort lines and f***’ – or risk being banned from the sport.

It is understood Cronulla officials were only made aware of the highly offensive tattoos when a photo of them circulated on 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.

Long-time club members are questioning the way the scandal has been handled.

“He should be given the boot from the club if he refuses to cover those tattoos,” a former club member told Daily Mail Australia.

‘I get it, we all make mistakes, but there is hardly any reasonable excuse why you would ever get such offensive words tattooed on your body.

“He wouldn’t be playing if I was still at the club.”

News Corp commentator Buzz Rothfield said the tattoos were “just disgusting”.

A spokesperson for NSWRL previously told Daily Mail Australia that the father-of-one (pictured) had been given an official warning and asked to cover the tattoos

“They’re so offensive. It’s so homophobic. They didn’t realise. They didn’t check the leg tattoos of every player they choose in rep sides, but when a picture of the player was posted on social media, they recognised it and sent it to the New South Wales Rugby League and well done Dave Trodden,” he said.

Rothfield said Mr Trodden, the NSWRL CEO, had “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,” he continued.

“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 play for fun, for camaraderie, but that’s just not normal.”