Social media abuse in sport, special investigation: Online ‘bite’ backlash that crushed NRLW player

When Madison Bartlett was charged with biting, the NRLW star believed her limited profile and modest social media following would limit the backlash. What happen next left her scared to go out in public.

Madison Bartlett was subjected to waves of online abuse.

With a limited profile and modest social media following, NRLW player Madison Bartlett was ill-prepared for the trolling she received last year after being involved in a controversial incident.

Bartlett was charged with biting Parramatta Eels five-eighth Sereana Naitokatoka during a match, and the ensuing online attacks left her shaken.

“Whether you have a million followers or 100 followers, everyone can be subject to the abuse,” Bartlett said.

“I was quite shocked when I was getting it. I am more armed for it if it comes in future, and I understand that it can come at any time.

“It highlights how important it is to have a support network. If I didn’t have my family, I would’ve been an absolute mess.”

Bartlett, now with the Gold Coast Titans, was playing for the Dragons last year when Naitokatoka tackled her around the head area and landed with her arm over Bartlett’s mouth when she bit her.

“It was a reflex action, I still stand by that, it was never an intentional bite,” Bartlett said.

Madison Bartlett was subjected to waves of online abuse.

But the fact the incident was reported on-field and then referred to the NRL judiciary set off a wave of online reaction.

“Mine was a unique situation, what happened was the incident, and then obviously it came in waves,” 28-year-old Bartlett said.

“After the game it emerged that I was referred to the judiciary for alleged biting, so that’s when the first wave came through. Naively, I thought ‘I don’t have a big following, it’ll be OK’.

“I was very wrong. At first it was, ‘You’re disgusting.’ ‘How do you think that’s OK?’ ‘Who do you think you are?’

“After the judicial hearing, the next wave came: ‘How the f--- did you only get one game?’ ‘You were guilty, how can you still be playing when you admitted you were guilty?’”

“And most of them were fake accounts.

“Then the second wave was when, I hadn’t planned to plead guilty but there was a mix-up and the paperwork went through saying I was pleading guilty.

“I was in a relocation house with albeit lovely girls, but I was there not knowing anyone, I had no family, none of my close friends, I’d just met these girls.

“The club was great, my coach Sowie [Jamie Soward] was great, they were so protective of me, they did everything they could but obviously they can’t help what happens with social media.

“So there was a whole different element to it, I was on the phone back home to my parents crying. It was also during Covid, so it was a whole lot of things.”

Defended by policeman father Todd and lawyer sister Tegan, Bartlett was only suspended for one game when the high-powered NRL legal team was pushing for three, while Naitokatoka received a warning for high contact around Bartlett’s head in the same incident.

“I was very wrong. At first it was, ‘You’re disgusting.’ ‘How do you think that’s OK?’ ‘Who do you think you are?”

“After the judicial hearing, the next wave came: ‘How the f--- did you only get one game?’ ‘You were guilty, how can you still be playing when you admitted you were guilty?’” Bartlett said.

“It’s not the club’s fault, we had a mix-up in communication, it was no one’s fault so I wasn’t going to go out and dog the club.

“I hadn’t experienced any of that before, everyone says ‘Just block it out and delete it’, but when you’re constantly getting these messages, and message requests it does take a toll on you.

“Even though I was stood down for the Broncos game, I was scared to go out because I didn’t know how people were looking at me, like ‘This is the person that bit someone’. I was very scared, I laid low, kept my head down.

“I was lucky Sowie took me up to the coaches’ box with him, not sheltered me but I felt safe there, I knew no one could get me there.

“I wasn’t sure if it was as big as what it was being out to be, but when people are constantly messaging you and you see it popping up on all these different news outlets, it does affect you.”

Bartlett holds concern for the next generation of NRLW players who could face similar treatment.

“I wouldn’t say I’m happy to have gone through it, but you learn from things at the end of the day,” she said.

“But imagine being an 18-year-old kid who is about to come into NRLW and something happens and they don’t have anyone. I hate to think what could happen.”