Rob Edwards has revealed that Carlton Morris was the victim of more abuse on social media after he an alleged racist incident during the 3-2 win at Sheffield United on Boxing Day.
The striker came on as a substitute and created the two chances that saw the Blades score two own goals which swung the Premier League six-pointer in Town’s favour.
However, towards the end of the game, he alerted referee Sam Allison – who was making his debut as the first black referee in the Premier League for 15 years – to an alleged racist remark from a spectator in home stands at Bramall Lane. The incident is now being investigated by South Yorkshire Police.
Asked how his striker is now, Edwards said: “Carlton’s OK. I text him the day after. Obviously, I can’t understand this so it’s hard to have that empathy for him because I’ve never been in that situation.
“Most of the times I’m able to empathise with players, whether it’s injuries or being out of the team, or whatever it is. This I can’t.
“I said to him the day after, ‘I can’t imagine how it feels’. He got more stuff on social media that night after the game. And the sad thing is, when he text me back, he said, ‘it’s all right, I know the protocols to do.’
“I just think that’s pretty sad that it just happens so regularly. He said to me, ‘it’s like water off a duck’s back’. I just think that’s really sad.
“But like I said, I can’t put myself into his position in this situation, but he’s dealt with it very well.”
A statement from Luton Town on Tuesday after the game, said: “We can confirm that Carlton Morris reported an alleged racist comment from the crowd during this afternoon’s Premier League fixture at Bramall Lane.
“Carlton reported it to the match officials in line with Premier League protocols, and the matter was dealt with immediately by both Sheffield United and South Yorkshire Police, who are currently investigating.
“Luton Town will offer Carlton and any other player suffering abuse our full support, and would like to reiterate that we take a zero tolerance stance against all forms of discrimination, whether in person or online. We would like to thank both Sheffield United officials and the police for their swift actions in dealing with today’s incident.”
It’s the second time this term that Luton have had to make a statement about racist abuse suffered by their players after Elijah Adebayo was subjected to a barrage of offensive social media posts after the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham.
