Adelaide Crows captain Jordan Dawson has been the recipient of abhorrent online abuse that references self-harm, occurring mere months after the suicide of his brother. Dawson publicly shared an Instagram message containing the offensive content on Sunday evening, following Adelaide's season-ending semi-final loss to Brisbane.
The message reportedly also referenced the R U OK? Day mental health awareness movement, according to The Nightly. Dawson responded to the abuse by posting, "There is absolutely no place for this in the world, be better." The club has since reported the incident to South Australian Police and the AFL integrity unit. Adelaide chief executive Tim Silvers condemned the abuse, stating, "Unfortunately, this disgusting and disturbing behaviour is becoming more common. It's simply not good enough, and it has to stop. There's no place for it in our community."
Fans across the league expressed outrage, with many calling for severe consequences for the perpetrator, including stadium bans and membership cancellations.
Dawson's older brother, Jaryd, died in April. Police confirmed at the time that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. Jordan Dawson took a brief leave from the sport before returning to play against Brisbane later that month. During the match, he collected 28 disposals and kicked two goals, kissing his black armband in tribute to his brother. Teammates and opposing players, including Brisbane coach Chris Fagan, offered him support after the game.
Dawson's courage was later recognized when he received the Robert Rose Most Courageous Player Award and the AFL Players Association's best captain award. At the awards ceremony, he spoke emotionally about mental health, sharing, "I just want to say, the mental health space is something that's pretty new and pretty raw to me at the moment, but it's definitely something that I want to learn a bit more about. I just want to wish anyone who's struggled with mental health out there, or who is struggling with mental health, to know that you are definitely loved and the world is a better place with you in it."
Adelaide's finals campaign concluded with the loss to Brisbane, who advanced to a preliminary final against Hawthorn.