HEADLINE

Penn State QB Clifford responds to death threats

Field Level Media

November 19, 2019 at 10:48 pm.

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford revealed Tuesday that death threats he received after the Nittany Lions’ loss to Minnesota earlier this month have forced him off social media.

“I completely deleted (social media) after the Minnesota game. It’s kind of sad to say how some fans get. It gets a little crazy,” he told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I was kind of sick and tired of getting death threats and some pretty explicit and pretty tough-to-read messages.”

Penn State was 8-0 before suffering a 31-26 defeat in Minneapolis on Nov. 9. Clifford’s third interception of the game came in the end zone with 1:01 remaining.

Clifford bounced back last Saturday, throwing one touchdown and rushing for two scores in a 34-27 win against Indiana.

For the season, the sophomore has completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 2,450 yards, 22 TDs and six interceptions.

Although Clifford also received messages of support from fans, he thinks that social media ultimately is not worth the distraction.

“I appreciate all the positive people that are around, but there’s also people that try to tear you down,” he said. “So, I think it’s always been better to keep your head away from that kind of stuff.”

Penn State coach James Franklin told reporters Tuesday that he was concerned by the threats.

“I don’t know where we are as a society. It’s concerning,” he said. “We’re 9-1. We’re ranked in the Top 10, I think. We’ve had a pretty good year based on most peoples’ standards. Sometimes you go on social media and you wouldn’t feel that way.”