Athletes and fan threats: the sick side of sports

I know little about Kyle Williams, except that he screwed up on a couple of plays during the NFC championship game on Sunday. And that he got threats following the San Francisco 49ers’ loss to the New York Giants.

Let’s see, Williams’ miscues “ruined” someone’s life, so some people are hoping to ruin the player’s life, right?

I’ve received threats, some of them sounding very serious, but nothing like Williams. I’ve never played in an NFL game. But I did see what happened when Karl Malone had death threats when the Jazz played in Chicago one year. There was security everywhere. The Jazz team bus took an alternate route. The team was escorted off the bus by a phalanx of armed police. Security around the court was high.

Another year in Sacramento I saw security tackle a man who was suspiciously waiting outside the team bus.

In that sense, I feel sorry for rich and famous people. There are always crazies. I was impressed by the way Williams handled his on-field mistakes, telling ESPN.com: “”It’s one of those things you have to take accountability for. Everybody is responsible for what they do on the field. It’s something that I was responsible for and I made a mistake and it’s time to own up to it and move forward.”

What more is the guy supposed to do? It was a classy and appropriate remark.

I wish I could say the same for the sick fans who want to make more of it than it was: a mistake in a football game.