Former Ohio State football lineman Harry Miller tells Today Show of fans’ criticism and threats against players

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Former Ohio State football offensive lineman Harry Miller told NBC’s The Today Show that negative messages from fans — including death threats against some of his teammates — contributed to his decision to retire for mental health reasons.

Miller opened up about those messages while discussing how the pressures faced by college athletes can pile up over time. He revealed he first told his mother he wanted to kill himself at age 8 and began receiving treatment. While he “felt good in high school,” his anxiety and depression intensified under the “bright lights” of major college football.

As a student athlete you play a game,” Miller said. “It’s a hard game. Perhaps you made a lot of mistakes. People send messages saying, Transfer. You suck.’ Some people get death threats that I know on the team.

“I’m trying to text my mom and that’s the first thing I see. You can’t worry about that too much because you have an exam the next day. You have that for weeks, then months, and by the end of the semester you’re like, ‘What is happening right now?’ ”

An Ohio State spokesperson was not immediately aware of any threats to football players that were turned over to law enforcement. The athletic department last April said it did forward social media harassment of basketball player E.J. Liddell to authorities.

Miller was a five-star prospect out of Buford, Georgia, who started at left guard during Ohio State’s drive to the national championship game in the pandemic-affected 2020 season. He tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the playoff semifinal against Clemson and missed that game. He did not start the national championship game against Alabama.