Some of you might have seen reports on "Clemson Dan" and the recruiting of Rashan Gary. Just before Gary visited Clemson, a phone message was left at Paramus Catholic, with veiled threats, and reference to the KKK and "taking football seriously."
“If you’re coming down here, you gotta do just like the KKK and be serious about your football. Clemson and the KKK, the two things we love the most,”
They are still investigating, although it is questionable whether they'll ever figure this out. Some say it was a deranged Clemson fan. Others suggest it was a Michigan fan pretending to be a Clemson fan. Still others that it was a Clemson fan pretending to be a Michigan fan pretending to be a Clemson fan. Who knows who it really was. The important thing is that this is just wrong.
Most worrisome to Gary's mother, Jennifer Coney, is that the football staff and coaches at Clemson had been alerted to "Clemson Dan," yet played dumb and feigned shock and surprise during Gary's visit.
This is obviously peripheral to OSU football. What is completely true, however, is that there are deranged fans out there who take this way too seriously. One of the best things I have ever read at 11W is pieces about how fans and bloggers should NEVER contact recruits. Stories like this reinforce that for me. I enjoy football, but for crying out loud, it's a game. I'm a Michigan fan, but really, how much should I really care about Michigan's football fates?
Which fan base has the most passionate fans and the biggest lunatic fringe is always debatable. As already said, there are deranged idiots everywhere. All I'll say is that I appreciate the moderators and the board itself keeping OSU fans from going over the edge. Thanks for a great rival site.
