Alex Beresford has said social media is "not the source" of racism, in response to abuse directed at some England players after the Euros final.
The tweet followed the pivotal match at Wembley, where the lions lost 3-2 to Italy on penalties last night (Sunday, July 11).
Out of the five players with one last shot at the goal, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka failed to find the net, with Rashford's attempt hitting the post.
READ MORE: Why England's Euro 2020 defeat should bring hope not despair
Since then, the young players - especially Saka, 19, who took the final kick - have suffered a torrent of racist abuse on social media.
Alex Beresford, a Bristol weatherman made famous by Good Morning Britain, has spoken out to say online networks are "not the source" of racism, and that the players knew what they were facing.
He wrote in a tweet: "Whilst we point blame at social media companies for letting racist abuse through, that’s not the source!
"When those 3 lions stepped up don’t think they didn’t know what was on the line.
"They knew they risked facing racism by their supporters, and still they stepped up for you/us."
The TV personality has spoken on issues of race before - most notably when he clashed with Piers Morgan over the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's explosive interview with Oprah.
The post has received nearly 11 thousand likes and over 700 retweets, with many Twitter users commenting their views below.
One said: "There shouldn't be any racism, they are people. We are all one human race, sorry the racists need destroying. I'm ashamed to be white."
While another chipped in: "100% agree. The pressure is immense and yet they still stepped up. Amazing young men. We all have to work to stop this and it needs to start with Social media. They need to block them and stop it."
And one replied: "Couldn’t have said it better. We should be supporting these boys instead of ripping them apart.
"I urge everyone to swamp their timelines with positivity and let’s drown out the minority and show them that racism won’t win not today, not tomorrow, not any day."
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