DEENEY FALLS VICTIM TO THE HATE BRIGADE

I spoke out and got battered

THE IRONY of enduring the criticism he received during Mental Health Awareness Week was not lost on Troy Deeney.

One of the few players brave enough to be honest about his coronavirus fears for his fivemonth-old son, the Watford striker made clear ahead of last week’s first phase of the Premier League’s return to training that he would be staying at home.

Cue the abuse. Vitriol was also aimed at Newcastle’s Danny Rose, who used colourful language to maintain the nation’s health was more important than football.

Deeney understands why more players opted not to put their heads above the parapet.

He said: “We are in a time where it’s all about mental health and everyone says, ‘Speak up, speak out.’

“Danny Rose spoke out and started using swear words, which wasn’t ideal. But then I spoke out and we just got hammered and battered for it.

“So players see that and say, ‘No. I’m not going to say something.’ It’s not just me that gets it, the missus was receiving messages. She’d be walking down the street and people were like, ‘I’m at work, he should go back to work!’ I’m like, ‘I’m not making them go back to work!’

“I saw some comments in regards to my son, people saying, ‘I hope your son gets coronavirus.’

“It’s like racism. How many people have an opinion on the racism situation? Loads. How many say something publicly about it? A handful?

“People will say I was vindicated when I didn’t go in and Watford had three people test positive.

“That changed people’s perception because they were like, ‘Oh, Troy was right.’ But it wasn’t about being right. It was solely about what’s right for me and mine. If you have a family, health means much more than wealth.

“I’ve had a lot of messages from people that I wouldn’t normally, which shows me that I must be doing something right.”

Deeney is now preparing to take part in full-contact training after having his concerns allayed.

He has no beef with the Premier League. The Watford captain cannot speak highly enough of the extent to which the game is striving to ensure training grounds are the safest place a player can be.

But he is deeply concerned by the large-scale testing programme and PPE for football while front-line health workers are operating without it.

“People think this is solely just get your football boots on and go play football,” Deeney said. “It is far bigger than that.”