Adelaide Crows star Eddie Betts has again become the target of “abhorrent” racial abuse on social media, with his club demanding such vilification “must stop”.

Betts has previously said racism is wrecking his enjoyment of the game

In a comment made alongside an official club Instagram post showing Betts arriving to play at the AFLX competition on Friday night, one user wrote “monkey see monkey do”.

The remark has since been deleted but it immediately triggered an outpouring of support for Betts from fans and current players.

https://twitter.com/Goosebusters34/status/1099498800522027008

Geelong’s Brownlow medallist and former Crows teammate Patrick Dangerfield described the comment as “disgusting, cowardly [and] racist”.

That view was echoed by the Crows, with the club describing the abuse as “abhorrent and disgusting” and calling on “everyone to play a role in eradicating racism” from the game and from society.

“Put simply, it must stop and all of our players, coaches, staff and board are united in our stand against such cowardly behaviour,” Crows CEO Andrew Fagan said in a statement.

“In listening to our playing group and our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players in particular, it is clear how damaging and impactful racism is to them and their families.”

We strongly condemn any form of racial vilification and consider such behaviour abhorrent and disgusting #weflyasone

— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) February 23, 2019

Fans were also keen to express their revulsion at the remark, with one describing the social media user responsible as a “drop kick”.

“Eddie shouldn’t have to put up with small-minded people making racist remarks. It’s unacceptable,” another wrote in response.

The racism row has erupted just days after Betts attended the AFL’s Indigenous All Stars Summit, which celebrated the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players to the game.

It is the latest incident in which the 32-year-old has been targeted by racist trolls.

Last year, an offensive comment appeared on a selfie photo Betts posted on social media.

In 2017 Betts was subjected to racist comments from fans during a showdown against Port Adelaide, and he later said the abuse was “wrecking” his enjoyment of the game.

In another Showdown the previous year, a Port Adelaide fan was filmed throwing a banana at Betts.