Ohio State striker EJ Liddell responded to a pair of angry fans who said he sent threatening messages after Buckeyes’ first-round exit from the NCAA tournament on Friday, writing in part on his Twitter account: “What did I do to is it worth it? I’m human.”
Liddell and Buckeyes, No. 2, fell 75-72 in overtime to No. 15, Oral Roberts, in the first major upset of the tournament in two years.
He later shared screenshots of the messages he said he had received from the two disgruntled fans, including one who threatened to find him and physically attack him.
Another fan wrote to Liddell, “You’re so ashamed. You never showed your face in Ohio. I hate you. I hope you die, I do.”
“The comments don’t reach me, but I just want to know why,” Liddell wrote on Twitter. “I have never done anything in my life to be approached like that.
“I do not say anything negative about Ohio fans. I love you all dearly and I only felt appreciated from the first day I stepped on campus ”.
Former Buckeyes star Jared Sullinger was among those who backed Liddell, writing that some people “don’t see you as a man more than entertainment.”
“Keep being young because you’re a brother,” Sullinger wrote to Liddell. “Proud of you. Use these messages to fuel your fire.”
Liddell, a sophomore, had 23 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Buckeyes, who were runners-up in the Big Ten tournament and entered Friday’s first-round game as a 16-point favorite.