Have we learned nothing from Charlotte Dawson?

• ‍'We have to act': Game's bid to block out online trolls‍
• NBL26’s real issue: Recruitment, not league parity‍
• The Splash: NBL's behind-the-scenes blockbuster

Warning: This story contains topics, language and offensive social media messages that may be disturbing for some readers.

It's been 11 years, nine months and five days since New Zealand-born Australian TV personality Charlotte Dawson died by suicide on February 22, 2014.

She was just 47.

Fashion designer Alex Perry said at the time: "We lost a beautiful, bright, shining girl today."

Dawson, a host of Getaway, The Contender Australia and a judge on Australia's Next Top Model, was brutally and relentlessly trolled on Twitter, now known as X, for years before her death.

If you are facing a mental health crisis or suicidal ideation, you are not alone. Help is available. 
Lifeline: 13 11 14 lifeline.org.au | Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 suicidecallbackservice.org.au
 I Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
 I MensLine Australia: 1300 789 978

In 2013, I was the Digital Editor of the DailyTelegraph.com.au and spent hours in the Twitter mentions of the news publication. I made the decision for my team not to spend any time in there, especially after the newspaper called out the venomous hate, vitriol, disgusting insults and calls to die that Dawson was experiencing in her every day life. I read every single one in our notifications. I also saw many of the messages, direct messages sent to her during 2013.

As an editor of more than a decade by 2013, I had become somewhat desensitised to images of war, massive shootings, violent car crashes, crime scenes and the abuse that comes with shining a light where many protagonists don't want illumination. But for a TV personality, those images would have been visceral.

It didn't stop.

Of course, the Telegraph was also trolled relentlessly, accused of hypocrisy for its stance on "Stopping the Trolls". The message lost in the vortex of the messenger and a refusal for any recognition of the real issue: Nameless, cowardly trolls threatening people online, hurting them, impacting them in profound ways at a time when, as a society, we had no real understanding of the implications, especially emotional, of social media and the harassment that goes with it.

Each time I met Charlotte, she was warm, engaging and radiated a wonderful easy-going friendliness. She was easy to spend time with. I remain close friends with some of her close friends and they still feel her loss profoundly.

Sadly, the same type of abuse and attacks are still happening more than a decade later. Often by "nameless, anonymous" individuals ruthlessly and disgustingly targeting basketball players via their social media accounts.

Fast forward to today and the NBL, WNBL and Basketball Australia (BA) have launched a partnership with Social Protect, "an online safety platform helping athletes, teams and organisations protect themselves from social media abuse and harmful online interactions".

This is to be absolutely applauded and wholeheartedly supported.

"The well-being of our players and the wider basketball community is always our highest priority," NBL CEO David Stephenson said.

"Partnering with Social Protect allows us to proactively address one of the biggest challenges facing athletes today and provide real, tangible protection from online abuse. It’s a partnership that reflects our values as a league: inclusion, respect, and care for the people who make our sport what it is."

In July, a 37-year-old man in Victoria was arrested and charged for alleged racial abuse of then Adelaide 36ers NBL star Montrezl Harrell.

It was alleged the man, in November 2024, sent a racist direct message to Harrell, who is of African-American heritage. He was identified by investigators from the Monash crime investigation unit after BA’s integrity unit referred the matter.

Social Protect is now the official Online Safety Partner of the NBL and WNBL. Its goal is to give "players, coaches and officials with access to tools and education designed to monitor, detect and delete online harassment and abuse across social platforms".

WNBL CEO Jennie Sager said: “Female athletes are targeted with nearly 20% more online abuse than their male peers, and 85% say it impacts their well-being.

"That’s a reality we refuse to ignore. Our partnership with Social Protect is a decisive step in standing up for our players.

"It gives them the tools, protection and confidence they deserve, so they can own their voice online, and not be silenced by those hiding behind keyboards.”

Social Project Founder Shane Britten said: “It is a deeper misogynistic thing rather than just being performance based.

"Basketball brings people together, and social media should do the same.

"We’re proud to help the NBL and WNBL take a stand for player safety by creating digital spaces where athletes can connect with fans, share their stories and play their part in the community, free from the toxicity that too often shadows sport.

"This partnership is about empowering every player to feel safe, supported and in control online.”

But it doesn't stop the sad reality that some Australians, sitting at their keyboards, believe it is their right or is even appropriate to attack a player for their performance or as a person.

In a joint statement, the leagues said: "Social Protect’s real-time platform automatically identifies and removes abusive comments across Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Discord by tracking over two million abusive words and phrases in more than 100 languages. It also provides individuals with a “Quarantine Zone” to review removed comments and escalate serious threats to league officials and/or law enforcement] when needed.

"Users can also create custom keywords and set filtering controls to tailor protections around personal preferences. The platform’s Education Hub further equips athletes with practical resources to strengthen digital security, manage privacy and engage positively online. Social Protect creates a safe space for fans to engage."

This time last year, the Tasmania JackJumpers upset 83-64 the then ladder-leading New Zealand Breakers in Hobart. Head coach Scott Roth then made an emotion plea to the league and fans after a pregnant player's wife was targeted by a disgraceful troll.

"We have a player whose wife is pregnant and they (people online) wished for a miscarriage," Roth said.

"We have a lot of distraught players and family members, wives and spouses and children," he said.

"We have been attacked brutally through social media to the point where it is ugly."

JackJumpers CEO Christine Finnegan said players had reported the harassment to Basketball Australia’s integrity unit.

"(The unit has) advised that they were giving this their highest priority to look into this matter," she said.

"The club has offered its unconditional support to all members of our club who feel violated by this behaviour."

Later that week, former Australian Boomers head coach Brian Goorjian said he no longer used social media.

"After the Olympics I put a line through social media," Goorjian said.

"So when I walked into this at the Kings, I don’t give a sh*t what people are saying.

"I learnt valuable lessons from the Games and now it’s just head down and bum up.

"So what the people from interstate say, what social media says, it doesn’t matter.

"I’ve also told the players, because they go through it as well. Look at what happened at Tasmania this season (with players’ families copping online abuse)."

As part of the Social Project announcement, Adelaide 36ers veteran Dejan Vasiljevic revealed he'd been the victim of many vilifying messages during his career, including death threats.

“The fact that some people think it is OK to jump on social media and message us directly saying, ‘you’re s**t’ and ‘go kill yourself’ just shows that people live a very sad life,” Vasiljevic said.

“S**t days happen and I know that everyone is human.

“I get worked up about it. I’ve had cracks at me, but if you include my mum or my family, I will take it to the highest possible level and you will face the consequences.”

On December 10, it will be law in Australia for children under-16 to keep or use a social media account.

The Australian Government's eSafety Commissioner website states: "Age-restricted platforms won’t be allowed to let under-16s create or keep an account. That’s because being logged into an account increases the likelihood that they’ll be exposed to pressures and risks that can be hard to deal with. These come from social media platform design features that encourage them to spend more time on screens and make it more likely that they will see negative, upsetting or manipulative content."

SuicidePreventionAust.org reveals:

• One in two young people are impacted by suicide by the time they turn 25
• 3,307 Australians died by suicide in 2024.
• More than seven million Australian adults are close to someone who has died by suicide or attempted suicide.

"The safety and wellbeing of everyone in our basketball community, especially children and young people is our highest priority," BA CEO Matt Scriven said.

"Basketball Australia’s Safe Sport Framework sets a clear standard in that abuse, harm and neglect have no place in our sport - on the court or online.

"This partnership with Social Protect reinforces that standard by giving athletes at all levels real protection against online abuse and a safer environment to participate, connect and grow.”

There is a basketball fitness drill, I won't name check it here, but it involves sprinting from the baseline, to the free throw, back to the baseline, back to halfway, back to the baseline, back to the opposite end free throw, baseline back, and then a full court sprint up and back.

Some of my players still use the drills now antiquated moniker until I remind them it's not in our vocabulary. I grew up with it, it's meaning minimised but the young women I now coach do not need the same.

At my practices, we still do it but it's now called a full-court line sprint.

Coaches, I highly recommend you do the same. Everything changes, and even a small one can make a big difference to the young people you're helping develop into thriving adults.

And to those authoring these shameful and disgusting messages: Stop or expect a knock on the door by the coppers and an appointment with a magistrate.

If you are facing a mental health crisis or suicidal ideation, you are not alone. Help is available. 
Lifeline: 13 11 14 lifeline.org.au | Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 suicidecallbackservice.org.au
 I Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
 I MensLine Australia: 1300 789 978

About the Author

Peter Brown is the head coach of the Sydney Comets Women’s Youth League team in the Waratah Basketball League in NSW. He is also the assistant coach for the Comets NBL1 women’s team in the NBL East Conference. Peter is an award-winning 30-year journalist, starting as a sports reporter at the NT News in the early 1990s. He played junior basketball for the Northern Territory at national championships from U16 to U20 and for the Territory’s senior men’s team at numerous international tournaments. Peter has been a basketball fan since the early 80s, especially the NBA. Basketball is his passion — and his opinions his own. Email peter.brown@basketball.com.au with feedback. Any email feedback on articles sent to Peter can be published on basketball.com.au for others to read.