'I hope your son gets coronavirus': Watford's Deeney reveals abuse
In a shameful incident highlighting how footballers are targeted by people, Watford captain Troy Deeney revealed the abuse he has suffered. Deeney said he has been abused both in public and online for expressing concerns about the Premier League restart amid the coronavirus pandemic. The player said people told him they wished his baby son would contract coronavirus. Here's more.
The Watford forward did not want to put his five-month-old baby "in more danger" and raised concerns over the increased risk to black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) players. His baby was born prematurely and has breathing difficulties. Many people on the street have also told him to go "back to work."
Deeney claimed he saw abusive comments in regards to his son. "I saw some comments in regards to my son, people saying: 'I hope your son gets corona[virus],'" Deeney told CNN Sport. "That's the hard part for me. If you respond to that, people then go: 'Ah, we've got him' and they keep doing it."
Earlier, Deeney refused to go back to work when the Premier League launched Project Restart. The player had said he will not return to training amid concerns for his own son's health, as well as that of BAME players. Premier League clubs had unanimously voted in favor of resuming training in small groups last week after eyeing a resumption next month.
"My son is five months and he's had breathing difficulties. I don't want to come home and put him in more danger. You've got to drive in in your own kit, you can't have showers, then drive back in the same dirty kit you've got," Deeney had said on Eddie Hearn and Tony Bellew's Talk The Talk podcast.
Deeney will now rejoin his team-mates next week. "I only said that I wasn't going back for the first week," Deeney told CNN Sport, after Premier League clubs unanimously approved a return to contact training. "People took that as I'll never go back," he added.
