May 28 – Troy Deeney, captain of English Premier League side Watford and one of the few players courageous enough to express his views about concerns over returning to training because of his baby son, says he has suffered online abuse over his stance, aimed at both himself and his family.
Deeney said he has had to deal with people wishing the five-month-old contracts the disease, an appalling indictment of how a part of British society behaves.
Deeney’s concerns were partially vindicated since shortly after his comments when one player and two Watford staff tested positive. Yet the 31-year-old found himself and his family in the firing line during what was Mental Health Awareness week in Britain.
“I saw some comments in regards to my son, people saying: ‘I hope your son gets corona’,” Deeney said. “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.”
Deeney has now decided to return to training after holding positive talks with the Government’s deputy chief medical officer.
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