Although former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard won a national title in his final collegiate season, it wasn't a year without challenges.
Howard's Buckeyes overcame a Week 14 home upset loss to the Michigan Wolverines to run the table by defeating Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame to cap the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.
The Oregon Ducks' Rose Bowl win was a sticking point in Howard's final season. It was a game avenged from a regular-season heartbreaker, a 32-31 loss in Eugene that nearly signaled the season over (regarding the College Football Playoff), and a game ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit says went too far afterward.
Speaking on "The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk," Herbstreit shared the unfortunate aftermath Howard faced online after the initial defeat.
"Will Howard, he took a knee against Oregon,” Herbstreit said. "He played his a** off at Oregon. He took a knee because he lost the time [on the clock]. And he took death threats. It’s so insane that these people have a voice to get to you. And you have just got to somehow insulate yourself the best you can. Because it is brutal.”
Herbstreit said the actions these unruly people took are far too common in college football. In the ESPN color commentator's eyes, a line needs to be drawn somewhere.
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"I don’t mean just sports, I’m talking social stuff," Herbstreit said. "You get to college football, you are playing on national TV, you miss a field goal when the game is on the line, you get death threats. Death threats. That is real.”
Howard has since moved on from the loss and now finds himself on the Pittsburgh Steelers, as he is three months away from beginning his NFL rookie season.