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Chris Holtmann, Gene Smith respond to threats received by EJ Liddell

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Ohio State’s outcome Friday was a disappointing one with the day made even worse with the images shared by star forward E.J. Liddell Friday evening.

Despite entering the NCAA Tournament as a 2-seed, the Buckeyes were upset in the Round of 64 by a hot-shooting 15-seed Oral Roberts squad. The Golden Eagles showed up prepared and hungry and were led by a duo of dynamic scorers.

After the loss, Liddell shared images of threats he received via social media. The physical threats included multiple derogatory remarks and continuous vulgarity directed at Liddell. The Ohio State police is reportedly looking into the threats.

Saturday morning, both head coach Chris Holtmann and Ohio State AD Gene Smith addressed the comments directed at Liddell.

Holtmann indicated that the comments are not “representative of Ohio State fans” and “reflect the worst of humanity” in a note on Twitter. He also said Ohio State will take the necessary actions to address the situation.

“I will support our student-athletes in and out of competition,” wrote Smith in a statement he released on Twitter. “I have nothing but love and respect for E.J. He epitomizes all that we hope for in our student-athletes.”

Stay tuned for more on this developing story.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.