Two Norwich City stars have been faced with derogatory posts on Twitter in an effort to highlight bullying.
Todd Cantwell and Alex Tettey volunteered to read a series of real abusive comments about themselves taken from the social media platform in a video in support of Anti Bullying Week.
Entitled Mean Tweets the pair responded to the posts in the short film before backing the campaign that aims to show how bullying can have a devastating impact on those who experience it.
MORE: Anti-Bullying Week - How Norfolk youngsters are standing up to intimidationAlex Tettey was faced with anonymous tweets including ‘Tetts is a nice guy but **** at football’. Another states ‘Alex Tettey is quite remarkable. Remarkable in that he has managed to get promoted to the Premier League with Norwich twice, despite not being able to play football’.
Taking most of the messages in good humour, the midfielder said: “It was quite tough to read about these tweets.
“We do read these as players. We are human beings, it affects us. So whoever is behind this, please just stop.”
Todd Cantwell was confronted with a series of foul-mouthed abusive posts including one stating ‘Todd Cantwell is a **** pass it on’.
He said: “If you don’t know me I don’t think you can tweet something like that. If you know me and think I’m a **** then I just have to own that. That says a lot about the person that has tweeted that.”
Backing Anti Bullying Week, which has been highlighting the issue this week using the hashtag #UnitedAgainstBullying, he added: “I think it is important during a tough time like this that we really knuckle down and spread positivity because it is a tough time for a lot of people.
“I am interested to understand why someone feels they can tweet something nasty about someone else without having any consequence to it. It’s something that social media accounts need to look into because I don’t agree with it.
“For me, the message is just try to spread positivity and always remember there is someone on the end of your tweet.”
MORE: Youth group to go online with anti-bullying conferenceIt is not the first time a Canaries star has thrown his weight behind an anti bullying camapign.
In 2015 then club captain Russell Martin made a starring role in a short film created by Norwich-based anti-bullying group GR8 AS U R.
The 10-minute film, A Kick in the Grass, showed the problems faced by a child who starts at a new primary school, and shows Martin in a dream sequence helping the football-obsessed pupil.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here