Brisbane premiership captain Lachie Neale has spoken out about the online abuse AFL players face, calling those responsible "a stain on society."
Speaking in the aftermath of the Lions' heavy loss to Collingwood on Thursday night, Neale took to Instagram to hammer the social media trolling he believes is out of hand.
"People hiding behind keyboards to attack players are the biggest stain on society," Neale posted.
"It's getting beyond a joke now, the things I've seen sent are some of the most horrific messages I've ever seen. It's a game of football, grow the f**k up.
"Cowards. Put your face and name to your words."
Neale's specific concerns remain unknown as of Friday morning but the Lions have confirmed the matter had been reported to the AFL.
The 31-year old was speaking in the aftermath of the Lions' 52-point loss to Collingwood on Thursday night, which doubled as their first defeat of the season.
The incident came after Port Adelaide's Willie Rioli appeared to delete his Instagram account after a torrent of abuse from users following his comments about his dislike for the Hawthorn Football Club.
That followed Geelong's Bailey Smith being fined for giving the double middle fingers to an Adelaide fan, who Smith accused of directing deeply personal insults at Cats captain Patrick Dangerfield.
[sports newsletter]
