Racist trolls rugby league legend Greg Inglis’ young son

Racist trolls have posted disgraceful comments on social media targeting rugby league legend Greg Inglis’ five-year-old son.

Racist trolls have posted disgraceful comments on social media targeting rugby league legend Greg Inglis’ five-year-old son.

The vile comments about Inglis’ indigenous heritage and his recent battles with mental illness were posted online in response to a photograph of Nate Inglis with a candlelit birthday cake.

The photo shows the five-year-old flanked by four children at a table with a bowl of lollies and the football-shaped cake alight with sparklers and four burning candles.

The vile comment posted by an online troll reads, “Just what the world needs is more half cast Rabittohs with genetic mental illnesses” [sic].

The post is signed off “White Australia policy supporter”.

An appalled Sally Inglis, who is the estranged wife of Greg Inglis and mother of his children Nate and Quinn, tagged one of the trolls and shared the posts on Instagram.

Greg Inglis' estranged wife Sally, posted an innocent of her son Nate (centre) standing before a birthday cake surrounded by friends before it was set upon by trolls

The appalling comment posted online by a troll targeting Greg and Sally Inglis's five-year-old son. Nate.

Greg Inglis with daughter Quinn and son Nate at his NRL farewell at ANZ Stadium. Picture. Phil Hillyard

“I considered not posting this but my babies deserve better. They are proud of who they are and have every right to be,’ she wrote on Instagram.

She then reported the post to NSW Police and the NRL integrity unit.

“The comments got quite weird, so I talked to police. They are checking on me and the kids. They suggested that I put my page on private, but that is giving in. I don’t want to do that, nor does Greg,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Greg and I made the decision many years ago that ignoring racism is accepting it.”

Ms Inglis also spoke of her estranged husband’s recent “lost weekend” after which he checked himself into a substance rehabilitation facility.

Sally Inglis, above with Greg at the 2015 Dally M Awards, said they had decided not to ignore racism but confront it head on. Picture: Richard Dobson

The Rabbitohs captain on his retirement day. Picture: Matt King

Inglis with his children and family last month. Picture. Phil Hillyard

“He was quite lost and seemed that way for a while … I was worried about him and I’m really happy that he is getting help,” she said.

Greg Inglis quit the South Sydney Rabbitohs team he had captained, announcing his retirement from rugby league in mid-April.

Appointed a league ambassador for Souths, Inglis then vanished during the NRL “Magic Round” last month.

It was later revealed he had spent three days with reality TV star Suzi Taylor, who told the media she and Inglis were longtime friends and she had been helping a mate in distress.

The chairman of the Australian Anti-Defamation Commission, Dr Dvir Abramovich, has issued a statement decrying “in the strongest possible terms this disgraceful outburst of prejudice toward Nate Inglis”.

“The racial vilification and deplorable targeting of children is an act of moral outrage,” Dr Abramovich said.

He described it as “ugly and heartbreaking” and said “trolling is now the go-to tactic and weapon in the bigot’s arsenal”.

Dr Abramovich said it had taken courage for the Inglis family to speak out against harassment and called on community leaders to rally against such disturbing episodes.

[e-mail]

Originally published as Racist trolls rugby league legend Greg Inglis’ young son