Ohio State forward E.J. Liddell reacted to a couple of angry fans who he said sent him compromising messages following the Buckeyes’ first-round exit from the NCAA competition Friday, writing to some degree on his Twitter account, “What did I do to deserve this? I’m human.”
Liddell and the No. 2-seeded Buckeyes fell 75-72 in additional time to No. 15 Oral Roberts in the first significant upset in the competition in two years.
Subsequently, he shared screenshots of messages he said he got from the two disappointed fans, including one who took steps to discover and physically attack him.
Another fan kept in touch with Liddell: “You are such a f—ing disgrace. Don’t ever show your face at Ohio State. We hate you. I hope you die I really do.”
“Comments don’t get to me but I just wanna know why,” Liddell wrote on Twitter. “I’ve never done anything to anyone in my life to be approached like this.
“This is not me saying anything negative about Ohio State fans. I love you all dearly and I’ve felt nothing but appreciated since the first day I stepped on campus.”
Previous Buckeyes star Jared Sullinger was among the individuals who advocated Liddell, composing that a few people “don’t see you as a human more like entertainment.”
“Keep being the young man that you are bro,” Sullinger wrote to Liddell. “Proud of you. Use these messages to fuel your fire.”
Liddell, a sophomore, had 23 points and 14 bounce back to lead the Buckeyes, who were runners-up in the Big Ten competition and entered Friday’s first-round game as 16-point favorites.