Carlton coach Michael Voss has spoken about the effects of ‘the dark side of footy’ on him and his family after receiving a shocking threat to end his life following the Blues’ loss to Collingwood last week.

The AFL Integrity Unit is investigating a message directed at the Blues coach, which referenced a brutal end to his life.

It comes after vandals targeted Blues headquarters with graffiti last month.

‘I always felt like football made you feel like you belong – and that’s what football clubs are all about,’ Voss said.

‘You have a sense of belonging, it’s about families, about communities. It’s about bringing people together. 

Carlton coach Michael Voss has responded after receiving a shocking threat to end his life

Voss (pictured with wife Donna) said fans who think passion is about anger ‘don’t belong’ at the footy club

‘I also remember as a 12-year-old at Morningside Football Club and having a brand a new footy … it was like the best gift I ever got, it was my first brand-new Sherrin. 

‘I used to smell it and always have it in my hands. It sort of really inspired me to ultimately follow my dreams – and that was really impactful on me.

‘And then I’ve also seen the dark side of football, where we blame, we become victims and it’s this environment where things are quite toxic. We think showing passion is about anger – and it’s not about that at all.

‘So when you see both, it’s what you choose for me. So when I turn up for football and I turn up on the weekend, I look at that four-year-old and think about what families are and communities and how we bring people together and what we want our environment to be – and that’s what it’s supposed to be about. It’s about bringing people together. So that is extremely important to me.

‘And it’s also about the 12-year-old who you want to inspire that next generation.

‘So when I look across the fence, I see the 12-year-olds and I see the 14-year-olds with aspirations to be able to do this. And so the inspiration for me is about inspiring the next generation and leaving a lasting impact on what that looks like.

‘So when you turn up on the weekend and I do what I do, I do that for Carlton and I do that for the next kid that’s going to be playing in the Carlton Football Club jumper. I do it so our football club can have this sustained success that we’re all craving for.

‘But there’s a way we need to behave and there’s a way we need to go about it – and when things are tough, you’ve got to show that support the right way. Not the wrong way.

The threat to Voss comes after vandals targeted Blues headquarters with graffiti last month as the team endured an awful run on the field (pictured)

Carlton will host defending premiers Brisbane at Marvel Stadium on Thursday (pictured, Voss during the round 17 loss to Collingwood)

‘Now if that’s a measure for some people on what it should look like, then I’m sorry you don’t belong here.’

Chris Fagan has described the threats directed at Voss as an unfortunate constant of the AFL coaching caper.

The Blues will host defending premiers Brisbane at Marvel Stadium on Thursday, with Voss’s men (6-10) 12th and out of the finals picture.

‘We’ve all been through that,’ Fagan said of Voss’s predicament.

‘It’s tough. I see there was some death threats … that’s pretty average.

‘I’ve got no doubt he’d be doing the best job that he can, but that’s just the world AFL coaches live in.

‘Faceless people, lack of courage. As coaches, we try to brush those things off, to be honest.’

The second-placed Lions all but ended Port Adelaide’s finals hopes with victory at the Gabba on Saturday and have lost just twice from 17 away games since last year’s bye.

Victory at Marvel Stadium would be another blow to the Blues and Voss, who has led his side to back-to-back finals appearances.