Furlong is chairman of Rocky Mountaineer,[5] corporate director of Canadian Tire,[6] volunteer chair of Own the Podium and a public speaker.

[7] Furlong first visited Canada as a physical education teacher and missionary from 1969 to 1972 at two Catholic day schools in Burns Lake and Prince George in British Columbia.

At the conclusion of his teaching term, he returned to Ireland and served as a sports administrator at Newpark Comprehensive School before emigrating to Canada in 1975.

After the Games, accusations of errors and omissions in his autobiography and abuse allegations were published dating back to his years as a missionary and teacher.

[14] In the aftermath of the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riots, at the request of then-Premier Christie Clark John Furlong and Douglas Keefe provided 53 recommendations in their September 2011 report, The Night the City Became a Stadium: Independent Review of 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup Playoffs Riot.

[15] Furlong served as advisor to the organizers of the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, British Columbia.

Furlong is chairman of Rocky Mountaineer, a rail tourism company based in Vancouver[33] and board member with its owner Armstrong Group Ltd.

[34] John Furlong had been the subject of some controversy following accusations of errors and omissions in his autobiography and legal actions arising from abuse allegations.

[61] Robinson's response to Furlong's defamation action included additional allegations supported by witness statements that he emotionally, physically, and sexually abused his first wife.

[65][66] Three former students, whose experiences were not part of the Georgia Straight story, alleged that Furlong sexually, physically, and verbally abused them.

[72] Questions have been raised about the relationship between Furlong and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers who investigated abuse allegations against him.

[74] In a December 2016 complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT), six Northern British Columbia First Nations members formally accused the federal government and the RCMP of racial and ethnic discrimination in their investigation of allegations that John Furlong abused them.

[77] The inquiry, originally scheduled for January 2022, was delayed after Furlong requested a judicial review of the CHRT's decision to deny him standing to seek a stay or dismissal of the proceedings.

[82][83][84][85] In January 2017, University of British Columbia (UBC) president Santa J. Ono apologized to Furlong for cancelling his keynote address at the February Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation fundraising event for athletes.

[86] In response to Furlong's reinstatement as speaker, indigenous professor Daniel Heath Justice quit a UBC committee working on a new sexual assault policy.

[87] Furlong spoke at the sold-out UBC fundraising breakfast, which raised several hundred thousand dollars for University athletic programs.

[89] In November 2012, Furlong filed, but later dropped, defamation suits against the Georgia Straight newspaper and journalist Laura Robinson.

[91][92] In July 2016, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) passed a resolution to pressure the federal government and the RCMP to formally investigate multiple abuse allegations against Furlong.

[93][94] In January 2016, a complaint to the Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) sought to appeal a judge's decision due to incorrect information.