Ohio State University president Ravi Bellamkonda and Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther condemned harassment to Buckeyes football players and coaches after the 24-23 loss to Texas on Sept. 12.
"Indeed, we have passionate fans that have had high expectations for Ohio State, and it hurts a little bit when the outcomes are not great sometimes," Bellamkonda said. "We had three great quarters. But I have full confidence in our coaches, our student athletes and that team.
"But I will say threats are just not acceptable against anyone. We take our football seriously, I get that, but we have a great team and a great season ahead of us. This is just one game. And great players, and I have full confidence in them."
After Ohio State went up 23-3 in the third quarter
against Texas, the Longhorns stormed back and put up 21 unanswered points to take the lead. According to ESPN analytics, Ohio State had a 94.2% chance of winning with 5:23 left in the fourth quarter.
“The Midwestern way is to stick with our team," Bellamkonda said. "When there's adversity, we're resilient. We’re gritty, we learn and we have a winning tradition, which I'm sure we will have a great season. But it's just unacceptable for anyone who issues threats and things like that against our players and coaches. To me, that's not the Ohio way."
The abuse to players and coaches is not new. Last season, Ohio State football kicker Jayden Fielding received death threats, including a bomb threat on his home address, after he missed a field goal during Ohio State's Big Ten championship loss to Indiana. Coach Ryan Day and his family were threatened online after the Buckeyes' 13-10 loss to Michigan in 2024.
Ginther said the OSU police will work closely with the Columbus police to investigate any possible threats to Ohio State players and coaches.
"Threats and violence of any kind will not be tolerated and will be fully investigated," Ginther said. "... These young people deserve our support. They deserve to be protected and make sure they're able to do what they are doing in a safe way. Coaches, the families, this is an incredible community. But the reason it is such a special place is because we value each other, we respect each other and we love each other."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State president Ravi Bellamkonda condemns threats against OSU players, coaches
