Port Adelaide games record-holder Kane Cornes says the AFL should've cracked down on online trolls before the issue reached boiling point earlier this week.
The AFL community united and stood up against trolls when the 7AFL Twitter account removed a photo of Tayla Harris kicking a goal because of abusive comments.
Cornes believes this sort of behaviour has been going on way too long and should’ve been stamped out a while ago.
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“There’s been worse so why now is the AFL they’re going to crack down on trolls now?” he told SEN SA Breakfast.
“Why has it taken this long to highlight the cowards out there that have been running around and doing what they want for five, six, seven years and no one’s given a stuff about it until now?
“I’ve had death threats and other athletes have had the same and other media personalities have had the same as well.
“I think it is still a really sensitive issue around embracing AFLW and females in sport.
“Generally, we’ve got a long way to go in terms of accepting their place in it.”
Port Adelaide veteran Robbie Gray experienced the negative effects of social media, and got rid of Twitter because of it.
He doesn’t understand the motivation behind online trolling.
“It’s pretty sad to see really,” he said.
“Coming in after games and seeing some of the rubbish that people send your way, I just didn’t think I needed to see it. It’s everywhere these days.
“I don’t know why people do it, what they get out of saying some of that stuff.
“Most of the stuff isn’t even about footy, it’s personal attacks and things like that so they’re the things that get to you and you just don’t need it.”
