Cleary responds after Crossland subjected to ‘unwarranted hate’ on social media
Nathan Cleary has pleaded with fans to stop directing hateful comments towards Phoenix Crossland after he was subject to intense abuse for his tackle that fractured the Panthers star’s ankle.
Crossland was referred straight to the judiciary after he was sent off in the preliminary final and faces an uphill battle to beat a charge of dangerous contact.
Phoenix Crossland leaves the field. NRL Imagery
The Knights hooker’s last Instagram post was July 15 and has since been bombarded with abuse.
Crossland posted to his Instagram story with a video featuring the abusive comments, captioning it “would you want your kids reading this?”
Cleary has also come out and defended Crossland.
“Please don’t be one of those people writing comments like this to Phoenix, it was a complete accident and he doesn’t deserve this unwarranted hate,” he wrote on his own Instagram story.
“He reached out to apologise and I have nothing but respect for him.
“He’s a competitor and our game is made up of split second moments that sometimes lead to unfortunate circumstances.
“Comments like this are so unfair. Spread love, not hate.”
Cleary’s post would have come from a hospital bed after he posted a photo of him with a cast on his left leg.
“Thank you so much to everyone that has reached out, the support has been unbelievable,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Yesterday sucked but it’s all part of the journey and it’s made me even more grateful for the people I have around me.”
On Nine’s 100% Footy, Paul Gallen shared his belief that Crossland should not have been sent off.
“I know it’s the worst possible result for Cleary and we don’t want it to happen but when you look at the actual action of the hip-drop, I thought Victor Radley’s (on Friday) was worse,” he said.
“At the end of the day, Crossland’s hip was on the ground ... we don’t want to see anyone injured but I don’t think he deserved to be sent off.”
Cameron Smith, who missed out on the 2008 grand final due to a grapple tackle, said it will be an “awful feeling” for Crossland if he misses out.
“The first thought is, ‘I’ve let my teammates down and all my fans down by not being available’,” he said.
