Colorado fans are getting out of hand. After the Buffaloes' thrilling victory over the Colorado State Rams, defensive back Henry Blackburn has reportedly received death threats for his hit on Colorado star Travis Hunter.
Blackburn, a senior at Colorado State, delivered a malicious hit on two-way star Hunter in the first quarter that sent Hunter to the hospital. It was later revealed that Hunter suffered a lacerated liver and would miss the next three weeks of action.
In the wake of the incident, people have reportedly been threatening Blackburn and his family via phone calls, text messages, and social media. At the time of this writing, Blackburn's socials (Instagram, Twitter) have either been made private or limited to the public eye.
According to Colorado State athletic director Joe Parker, Blackburn started to receive threats immediately after his team lost to Colorado. Blackburn and his family's cellphone numbers were leaked on the internet along with his campus dorm address and family home address.
Colorado State DB Henry Blackburn is being witch-hunted after vicious hit on Travis Hunter
On Monday, ESPN's Pete Thamel provided an update on the chilling situation, reporting that the Colorado State police were now looking into the threats and harassment toward Blackburn.
Though Blackburn's hit on Hunter was dirty and illegal, sending death threats to him and his family is completely uncalled for.
Hunter himself denied Blackburn of any wrongdoing on a livestream and said that "it's football at the end of the day." Yes, Hunter came away with an ugly injury and will miss time, but violence toward his aggressor is not the answer.
Joe Parker said of the ongoing death threats aimed at Blackburn: "Henry never intended to put anyone in harm's way on the football field. It's not what we teach or coach. We hope that the irrational vitriol directed at Henry stops immediately."
Colorado State coach Jay Norvell also commented on the situation and said that "it's sad that that's the state of the world we live in.... We don't coach that kind of football."
CSU tallied far more penalties than Colorado did on Saturday, and Blackburn's vicious hit on Hunter in particular was the hit heard 'round the nation. It truly is sad that Blackburn is receiving threats to his life over a football game -- hopefully, people realize the errors of their ways and stop the witch hunt of a college senior for one dirty play.
