Once again, college football’s fringe has blurred the boundaries between hooliganism and fandom. Ohio State’s kicker, Jayden Fielding, and his family are facing online harassment after he missed a last-minute field goal against Indiana. But OSU’s AD has now come to his support publicly, bashing the fringe OSU fans.

“The abhorrent reactions to Jayden & his family are totally unacceptable, & those who cross the line should be held accountable. Jayden is a great young man, & we are supporting him in all phases. Onward Buckeyes,” wrote Ross Bjork on his X account.

The story about Fielding’s harassment was shared by FOX 28 Columbus, and Bjork also commended the outlet for “bringing it to light.”

It all goes back to the Big 10 championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Buckeyes were trailing 10-13 in the fourth quarter, and after capping an 81-yard drive, Ryan Day decided on a field goal at Indiana’s 9-yard line. Fielding missed the 27-yard field goal as OSU eventually lost 10-13.

Put yourself in the player’s shoes. They’re already being hard on themselves for being a reason for their team’s loss. That’s the worst feeling in the world for an athlete. Had he scored, everyone would have considered it routine. It’s like how former ASU kicker Thomas Weber summarized it.

“You feel like everyone else did everything they could to win the game, and you did everything you could to lose it. It’s a feeling of complete loneliness,” said Weber.

However, if that’s not enough, players must navigate extreme fan scrutiny, which can sometimes escalate to death threats. What Fielding and his family are going through has no place in college football.

In the moment when fans send the player and his family those threats, they forget Jayden is an illustrious athlete and has been a loyal Buckeye for 4 years. They also don’t remember that he had scored 46+ yarders three times last year against Notre Dame, Oregon, and Penn State. Sadly, the incident isn’t the first time someone has had to go through such a horrendous ordeal at Ohio State.

Ohio State’s fringe is not willing to learn lessons from their 2024 season’s hooliganism

Last year, after Ohio State lost to Michigan, Ryan Day’s family faced similar scenes from a fringe section of their own fan base.  The head coach had to hire armed guards to protect his family at home when he was busy in the postseason. But it seems that’s the harsh reality of the CFB world right now.

“You know, it’s unfortunate. I understand fans’ perspective of how much you love the game, but it’s that, right? It’s a game. And he’s human, and he’s a kid. When you talk about that level of harassment, you’ve put way too much into that game; you’re out of balance there,” said OSU’s former player Obie Stillwell. We are discussing children who are still young, even if they have crossed the threshold of adulthood.

For Fielding, though, the missed field goal isn’t a setback. The senior is in his fourth year with Ohio State and has accumulated 209 points so far through his kicking exploits. Moreover, without Jayden’s abilities, OSU might not even have won the 2024 national title. Last year, the kicker accumulated 112 points and helped the team seal the national title after 10 years. Not to mention, the 6’2″ and 175 lb kicker is an OSU scholar and won the Academic All-Big Ten Conference honors last year.

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Jayden, by every means, has an illustrious career ahead, and the missed goal against Indiana won’t be able to affect his legacy one bit. No matter how loud the fans criticize him or pull him down. Expect Jayden to be the main man in sealing OSU’s 2025 national title by a field goal.