TYRONE defender Tiernan McCann has admitted that coming under a social media spotlight is 'not easy' and has appealed for online critics to be 'very careful of what they say' about players.
Experienced McCann was retrospectively banned for two games last summer following an incident against Donegal and acknowledged he's 'no angel'.
His hand came in contact with the face of Donegal defender Stephen McMenamin during a grapple for possession in their Ulster semi-final tie and his boot also struck the back of McMenamin's head.
It sparked a huge debate online with 'Sunday Game' analysts later laying into the Killyclogher man, who was also at the centre of a diving saga in 2015.
Back then, McCann was criticised for dropping dramatically to the Croke Park ground after his hair was ruffled by Monaghan's Darren Hughes, who was dismissed, during their All-Ireland quarter-final tie.
McCann was apologetic after both incidents and said in an interview for Benetti Menswear that such storms have left him open to severe criticism on social media.
"It's not easy, it's definitely not easy, especially with Twitter and social media these days, there's a platform there for people to say whatever they want," said two-time Ulster medallist McCann. "It can be very, very difficult.
"It can be very difficult for a family, people can write anything, personal stuff. Even if you look on a broader scale, in terms of some of the recent celebrities, Love Island and people on a higher...a million scales above a GAA player and they're getting hundreds of thousands of messages and you can understand why people are under so much anxiety and depression these days."
