Furious Jack Ross has leapt to Ryan Porteous' defence following the Hibs defender's red card against Rangers.
The 22-year-old was dismissed for a challenge on Joe Aribo during the Easter Road side's 2-1 Premiership defeat at Ibrox earlier in October.
Porteous ' challenge sparked frenzied debate but Ross condemned certain observers "stoking a reaction" as he revealed his player was bombarded with "disgusting" abuse in the aftermath.
The Hibs manager said Porteous had "people telling him they hope he dies of a tumour", as well as being targeted with homophobic and sectarian slurs.
Ross told The Scotsman: “I think those who have that platform need to be careful not to exaggerate or misrepresent things.
“I have seen what a 22-year-old had to deal with because of that.
“It was a tackle, that’s all it was. People can have their opinion on how bad a tackle it was, that’s football, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the way there was a complete misrepresentation of it by people who used inflammatory language without thought. It definitely stoked a stronger reaction.
“His disciplinary record last season was outstanding but people don’t want to hear that. In the current climate, when we are quick to highlight some other forms of abuse, it is terrible what he has had to put up with.
“He is a young man, who has had to deal with the professional disappointment of the way the game panned out but it is the other stuff he has had to deal with that’s inappropriate and we shouldn’t wash over it as though it is acceptable. The abuse, and people talking about him dying, that goes beyond the pale.”
Ross suggested he believes the way the incident was discussed in the aftermath fuelled the abuse aimed at the Scotland U-21 international.
He continued: “Some people discussed it in a rational, balanced manner, as you would expect. But some people didn’t and blew it all out of proportion.
"Because of that a 22-year-old was subjected to the most dreadful abuse in the aftermath. I have seen it and it is disgusting. I have seen sectarian abuse, homophobic abuse, people telling him they hope he dies of a tumour.
“You can say that came in the aftermath of the incident or you can say it is in the aftermath of the way some people spoke about it but I have to be protective of him.”
Hibs unsuccessfully appealed the dismissal and Porteous will now be suspended for their clash with Dundee United on Saturday.
Record Sport exclusively revealed this week that the capital club had opened talks with the centre-back over a new contract.
