Cavendish calls for ‘vile’ social media abuse to stop

Cavendish, 32, suffered a broken shoulder blade in the incident and had to pull out of the Tour, but he revealed in a video posted on Twitter that he has since been subjected to the ire of some social media users.

Published : Jul 06, 2017 18:24 IST , Vesoul, France

Mark Cavendish sustained a shoulder in a crash on Tuesday for which Peter Sagan was disqualified.
Mark Cavendish sustained a shoulder in a crash on Tuesday for which Peter Sagan was disqualified.
lightbox-info

Mark Cavendish sustained a shoulder in a crash on Tuesday for which Peter Sagan was disqualified.

Mark Cavendish has pleaded with social media users to stop abusing him over the disqualification of Peter Sagan from the Tour de France. Sagan was kicked out after his elbow sent Cavendish crashing into metal safety barriers and down to the tarmac in Tuesday’s sprint finish to the Tour’s fourth stage.

Cavendish, 32, suffered a broken shoulder blade in the incident and had to pull out of the Tour, but he revealed in a video posted on Twitter that he has since been subjected to the ire of some social media users.

“Please know that it’s sport and I have a family,” he said. “Everyone is entitled to their opinions. But vile and threatening comments on social media to myself and my family aren’t deserved.”

Cavendish said he was paying now for the “petulant” attitude he had as a younger rider. “Unfortunately this will never leave me,” he added.

“But I’d ask you all to respect that and please not send threatening or abusive language to myself and my family.”

He also praised Sagan for both coming to see him after the incident on Tuesday and calling him later that evening, insisting that the two remain friends.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment