Brisbane captain Darius Boyd has warned fans to lay off on social media. That was his message after the Broncos were smashed 58-0 by Parramatta and booted from the 2019 premiership race.

The outspoken Boyd said a player would eventually take his own life if those online didn’t take a step back.

“Negative talk isn’t great but I don’t live in a rugby league bubble. I’ve got a great support network,” Boyd said.

“I’ve got a kind heart, I care about other people. I’ve got a really positive mindset and I think about gratitude all the time. I’m a big advocate for that. That might have to happen, which is very unfortunate if it does, for people to lay off on social media or mainstream media.

“We’re all football players, we all do our best each week. Tonight we didn’t do our best but we tried hard. The effort was there.

“We’ve got it wrong heaps of times this year but that doesn’t mean we’re less of a person.”

Boyd also revealed he had no intention of retiring and would play on next season.