Tasmania JackJumpers players, their wives and children have reportedly been subjected to online abuse, prompting the club to consider involving the police.
CEO Christine Finnegan said the abuse may have been fuelled by gambling losses and suggested the perpetrators were likely not from Tasmania.
“I would be surprised if they’re actually Tasmanians, but until we’ve got to the bottom of it, I guess everybody’s under the microscope,” she said.
“I think if Basketball Australia deem it necessary, they will refer it on to the police and we’ll leave it with people much more qualified than us to deal with that.”
Coach Scott Roth addressed the media after the JackJumpers’ win over the New Zealand Breakers on Saturday night, detailing the abuse and calling it “ugly.”
“We have a player that’s wife is pregnant and they (the social media user) wished for a miscarriage,” he said.
“These attacks have been going on for weeks and it came to a head yesterday.”
“We deserve better, we’ve worked very hard here for three years.”
“Our guys show up every single day to do their work. You don’t need to attack them.”
“You can attack me. If you don’t like the way we play, I get it. But to go after people’s mothers, fathers, kids, and do that in the brutal way this has transpired, it’s beyond crossing the line.”
Finnegan said the online abuse becomes an especially serious issue when aimed at the families of players.
“I think what it should do is give everyone a great deal of perspective that sport is just a game and it’s a game that we all love,” she said.
“I always say no one should go to work and feel unsafe. Well, no one should go and support their partner and feel unsafe.”
