- JackJumpers demand NBL action to address player abuse
- Players and families have been brutally attacked online
- Scott Roth revealed trolling of players on social media for weeks
Tasmanian JackJumpers players and their families have been brutally attacked online amid the club’s failed NBL season, says coach Scott Roth, who wants the league to take further action.
The reigning champions climbed off the bottom of the table with a surprise 83-64 victory over the top-seeded New Zealand Breakers on Saturday night in Hobart.
In an emotional post-game press conference, Roth revealed that the weeks-long trolling of players and their loved ones on social media had reached an ugly crescendo in the 24 hours leading up to the game.
“We have a lot of distraught players and family members, wives, spouses and children,” he said.
‘We have been brutally attacked via social media to the point where it is ugly.
“We have a player whose wife is pregnant and they (people online) wanted a miscarriage.”
JackJumpers chief executive Christine Finnegan said the players had informed Basketball Australia’s integrity unit about the harassment.
The team turned off all comments on its social media accounts in response to the abuse.
“(The unit) advised that they were giving this their highest priority to investigate this matter,” he said in a statement.
The Tasmanian NBL club says players and their families have been subjected to shocking online abuse in recent days.
“The club has offered its unconditional support to all members of our club who feel violated by this behavior.”
Roth said he was happy with criticism about his coaching, the team’s style of play or roster decisions, but the personal attacks crossed the line.
“It’s coming from players and people around the world and fans in general who feel like they can spit whatever they want out of their mouths,” he said.
‘When you start using vulgarity and start attacking family members, children and photos on Facebook… it’s too much.
“It’s just a basketball game. It’s just entertainment. Who cares at the end of the day?
‘We’re just here to entertain, play as hard as we can. This is not life or death. It’s disgusting.’
Tasmania claimed the championship last season in just its third year in the competition, but has so far won just four of 12 matches in 2024/25.
Roth called on the league to “do more” about social media trolling and take a more proactive approach.
Scott Roth says players and their families are shocked by abuse
“I get it, you report it and then they try to figure it out,” he said.
‘But why wouldn’t they be… watching what’s going on and contacting the teams? It’s not just us.
“I have relatives (of players) who say ‘I’m afraid to go out because they’ve threatened me.'”
‘The league needs to protect us. We have had three extraordinary years and I am not going to allow the place to be burned down by people who attack us like that.
Roth said he told his players to “play for their families” before the victory, which snapped a three-game losing streak and was led by 19 points from Jordon Crawford.
The Breakers, first in the table before the clash, were up 27-20 at the end of the first quarter but fell badly and scored only three points in a horrible third quarter.
They lost Jonah Bolden early in the contest when the 28-year-old power forward limped off with a left calf issue.
Import Craig Sword had his best game of the season for Tasmania with 18 points, while bench mate Majok Deng also had 18 and six rebounds.