Gary Lineker 's son George has revealed he has received vile death threats on social media after backing his dad during his row with the BBC.
George was a vocal backer of the elder Lineker after he was stood down from his role presenting Match of the Day. But he has now opened up on the abuse he has received since doing so.
"Social media’s mad isn’t it. Over the last few days, on insta - never had so many nice messages. On Twitter - never had so much abuse. It’s not even anything to do with me," George wrote on Twitter.
One of the messages he has received reads: "Your [sic] a mug, how dare you stick up for what your s***house of dad said you need to be burned at the stake."
Dad Gary took aim at Twitter owner Elon Musk in response to the death threats his son had been sent. He screenshotted George's tweets and wrote: "Is this acceptable @Twitter @elonmusk? And I don’t mean the grammar."
BBC Sport was engulfed in a crisis after bosses decided to suspend Lineker, though director general Tim Davie has now thrashed out an agreement to see the presenter return. At the height of the chaos, George insisted that his dad would not back down.
Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, he said: "This week has been very overwhelming, and I do think it has been hurtful for Dad. But all the support he has received has made him feel a lot better and I know he has no regrets.
"To take him off the air for having a voice is harsh, and I think he was surprised, and a bit disappointed. Free speech is important and he shouldn't have been punished for that.
"But the reaction to all of this has been more than Dad ever thought it would be, and that just shows he did the right thing. After it all kicked off, me and my brothers messaged him saying: 'We're proud of you' and he replied: 'Cheers boys' with a thumbs up emoji.
"Later he told us that he'd been so overwhelmed by the support. He wrote: 'Shearer and Wrighty backing down made me emotional, it means a lot to me.' I think he did cry when he found out about that. The support has been a positive thing to come out of this."
Lineker will make his return as the host of the BBC's live coverage for Manchester City's FA Cup quarter-final clash with Burnley on Saturday evening.
The deal he has struck with BBC bosses will see an independent review launched of the broadcaster's social media guidance. Lineker himself will not make an apology for the tweets that resulted in his suspension.
And after that agreement was announced, George revealed his pride at seeing his dad stand up to his bosses at the corporation. He tweeted: "Proud of the old man after a busy few days. Shouldn’t need to apologise for being a good person and standing by his word. The reaction of the public has been overwhelming. Thanks for the support."
