THE Blackburn Rovers fan who posted an abusive message about a disabled boy on Twitter has apologised to the lad and his family.

Sam Braysford, 17, created a social media storm when he sent a message to Clarets star Danny Ings, abusing him and Burnley fan Joseph Skinner, who is in a wheelchair.

After posting the message, Sam received messages from several Twitter users, including the striker himself, condemning him.

He later deleted the Tweet and closed his account after receiving death threats and threats against his family.

Sam said he was sorry for any upset he had caused to 14-year-old Joseph and his family because of the abusive Tweet, and telephoned Joseph’s mother, Bernadette Nuttall, to apologise.

He said he was also planning to visit the family to say sorry in person.

He said: “I have spoke to Bernadette and Joseph over the phone. I have apologised and they have accepted my apology and we have agreed to let it go.

“Me and Joseph have exchanged Xbox Gamertags and plan on having a few games of Fifa14.

“(We are going to) let it all blow over because he knows how sorry I am.

“I am also going to get him a gift to say how sorry I am, even though he has asked me not to.”

Joseph’s mother Bernadette Nuttall said she felt sorry for Sam who had ‘made a mistake’.

She said she and Joseph would never want Sam to have received abuse or death threats for sending the Tweet.

She said: “He’s made a mistake. I’ll accept his apology. The fact that this has happened to him makes me sad.

“It’s just a stupid playground remark and it’s going too far, it’s just going too far.

“Joseph doesn’t like anything like that. This has happened before when someone else made a comment and received death threats.

“He hates it. We don’t want this.”