Michigan AD Rips Fans Who Mocked Fumbling Punter In Open Letter

After Michigan lost yesterday to Michigan State on a wild, fumbled snap, punter Blake O’Neill was the subject of death threats. This is both depressing and unsurprising, the sort of standard nonsense all athletes are subject to on social media after high profile errors.

This morning, Michigan’s interim Athletic Director Jim Hackett released an open letter to Michigan fans, telling them to get it together and stop harassing O’Neill:

Here is the full text of the letter:

Dear Michigan family,

This Saturday’s game continued to prove the progress that we are making in our football program.

This isn’t only the way I feel the morning after a sudden change of euphoria took us to a heartbreaking loss. I know that many feel this – we are proud of our kids.

I know that all of our friends believe in what they saw for nearly 60 minutes of that game. This team left nothing on the field but its best effort.

The quality of Michigan football filled the chilled air.

Today I awake to the shocking reality that our community who care so much about this program would send hurtful, spiteful and vicious comments to one of our students. To be clear, such comments come from a small minority, none of whom are reflective of our institution.

The program I know at MICHIGAN speaks about the team, the team the team. The people I have been associated with my whole life around this fantastic program - some whom are living and some whom have passed on - would never, I repeat never, spread blame.

As our head coach said yesterday, “…this outcome will steel our spine.”

That means all of us.

I’m asking that our community not lose this game twice by condoning thoughtless comments and remember the Fielding Yost comment that this is the “Michigan of ours.”

Go Blue

Jim Hackett