ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit recently disclosed that the wife of Ohio State head coach Ryan Day reached out to him personally amid the intense backlash her husband faced following the Buckeyes’ nightmare loss to Michigan.
Of course, the vibes around Day have (temporarily) gotten better as the team sits 60 minutes away from a national title game berth.
However, it was the defeat to their archrival that sparked outrage among a segment of the Ohio State fan base, as the team has now endured four consecutive losses to Michigan.
Herbstreit, a former Buckeye quarterback himself, has often criticized the extreme reactions from what he described as the school’s “lunatic fringe” of fans.
“The lunatic fringe at Ohio State is as powerful as anywhere in the country. It used to be eight to 10, I think it’s grown now to about 15 to 20. I’m sure they’ll be happy tonight, fired up about what the team did, but God forbid they lose to Oregon. They’ll want to fire [Day] again,” Herbstreit said in the final moments of Ohio State’s commanding victory over Tennessee.
Herbstreit also highlighted the harsh criticism Day faced in the media.
“First Take tried to fire him. They thought he was done, so I’ll be excited to see what they talk about on Monday after this performance. They had him out, trying to find replacements. But here he is, he still has his hat on. He’s still coaching,” he said.
On Tuesday, Herbstreit elaborated further during an appearance on On3’s “Andy & Ari” show, sharing the emotional toll the criticism has taken on Day’s family.
He revealed that Ryan Day’s wife reached out to him for advice, expressing her family’s devastation.
“I get defensive for them,” Herbstreit said. “I feel bad for them. I feel bad that Ryan Day’s son deals with stuff, and his wife, who just talked with me, one on one, asking me what I think. I mean they’re devastated. I’m talking devastated. And that hurts me for them, that they deal with that.”
Herbstreit emphasized that his defense of Day is based on direct accounts from those close to the coach.
“When I speak out, I’m not just randomly speaking out. This is evidence and hardcore facts from players and coaches who confide in me.”
The analyst also disclosed alarming details about the threats the Day family has faced.
“I’m a friend of Ryan Day’s,” Herbstreit said during a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “He and I talk on a regular basis about more than just football, so I hear things that he and his family go through. Especially Nina, his wife. His son, who gets death threats from multiple, multiple people. And what it’s doing to them as a family.
“When I hear that, it really frustrates me that he has to deal with putting an armed guard outside of his house 24/7 for his own fanbase. That hurts my heart that that is a reality for the Ohio State coach.”
Again, all is currently well in the Ohio State world.
The Buckeyes enter tonight’s Cotton Bowl matchup against Texas viewed as the solid favorites to win the national title.
Having said that, just how ugly will things get if Day and company don’t finish the job???
