Death threats part of 'just sick' reaction to Michigan recruit Logan Tuley-Tillman burning OSU letter
Logan Tuley-Tillman knew he probably would hear from some Ohio State fans when he tweeted a photo of himself burning mail sent by the Buckeyes.
But he didn't expect national media exposure, and he certainly didn't expect death threats.
That's exactly what he got.
"I got threats coming at me from everywhere -- death threats," the Michigan football recruit said by phone Tuesday. "I got somebody telling me he wants me to burn in hell. I got somebody talking about the Holocaust.
"Why, 'cause I burned your team's envelope? Stuff like that I don’t understand. I’m only 17. It takes a lot of emotion for someone to do that, just over an affiliation to a school.
"But you know what? God bless 'em. I'm moving on."
Michigan recruit Logan Tuley-Tillman was surprised by the reaction to this Twitter photo of him burning a letter from the Ohio State football program. "It's just sick. I try not to look at it," he said. "I'm used to hearing (trash talk) from Ohio State fans. I normally just ignore it. But this, I'll use as motivation."
from Twitter
He's considered one of the best players in the state of Illinois. He held an Ohio State offer.
He chose Michigan -- and isn't afraid to say so.
Tuley-Tillman has been active on Twitter, particularly when it comes to voicing his passion for Michigan football. In that regard, his tweet wasn't really out of character.
He receives a lot of literature from schools, even after his commitment to the Wolverines -- that's normal for big-time prospects -- but decided to burn the Ohio State mailing after fellow Michigan recruit Mike McCray received an offer from the Buckeyes on Friday.
Then the vitriol started rolling in.
Tuley-Tillman estimates he received hate messages from about 75 profiles on Twitter. He received death threats from a handful, as first reported by Yahoo! Sports.
The worst of it, Tuley-Tillman said, came from user @SloppyJ4: "I hope the only thing that burns harder than a Jew in the holocaust is @LoganTillman in hell.”
"It's just sick," said Tuley-Tillman. "I try not to look at it. I'm used to hearing (trash talk) from Ohio State fans. I normally just ignore it.
"But this, I'll use as motivation."
He said his mother also has been harassed by Ohio State fans, including on Facebook. He is particularly sensitive to those remarks because it has been only about two weeks since his mother heard gunshots near their Peoria home.
She walked toward the noise, and discovered a dead body with two bullet holes in the head. The victim's brother was standing nearby.
"You know what? She’s such strong lady, it just makes me angry people would harass her," Tuley-Tillman said. "She was pretty upset, because she was so proud of me throughout this process, and when I committed to Michigan.
"It just adds more fire to what I want to get accomplished -- more to how I want to get my point across playing against Ohio.'
Tuley-Tillman said he doesn't like the rough nature of Peoria, and he hopes to transfer to a Michigan high school.
"It just resonated with me that it was time to make a change," he said.
Tuley-Tillman has looked seriously into enrolling at Detroit Cass Tech, a football power, as well as Saline and Pioneer high schools. He said he hopes to know within a couple months where he will attend school for the fall semester.
He intends to graduate in December and enroll a semester early at Michigan.
Meantime, Tuley-Tillman is getting up at 5 a.m. during the week to go on runs before school, then lifting weights twice a day after classes. His 6-foot-7 frame has trimmed out to about 308 pounds, after being listed as high as 325 pounds on recruiting websites.
An injured shoulder has prevented Tuley-Tillman from participating fully on the camp circuit this summer, but he says the injury is almost fully healed. It won't affect his final high school season.
Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.
Comments
rightmind250
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 7:02 p.m.
This is Kyle Bosch's latest tweet in response to LTT's situation. OSU fans giving @LoganTillman threats on your way to his house make a stop by mine and I'll show you what a real death threat is ?#bringagun yep, Brady has got a bit of a mess on his hands. Sounds like the AA prison's will be quite busy the next 4 years.
golions34
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 6:33 p.m.
burning that letter without reading it is just foolish. could be some cash in there.
Eric Anderson
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 3:23 p.m.
This will certainly highlight the chasm between UM's fan base and OSU's, and could have a positive impact on UM recruiting.
rightmind250
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 3:17 p.m.
Someone please help this kid. Peoria is tough, I think I'll transfer to Detroit. My God! This is just getting to the point of being pathetic.
rightmind250
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 3:15 p.m.
The whole situation is digraceful and pathetic. An immature act (not the burning, the tweet posting) by a recruit, a clueless parent fanning the flames on facebook and fans blogs, and a psychotic fan. At this point I am not sure they don't all need to be sent somewhere to learn how to act in some appropriate manner. It appears to me Brady has got a mess on his hands. It might be time to teach these players some responsibility.
rightmind250
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 5:16 p.m.
I can't believe for a minute that Brady would celebrate ignorance. The burning of a rivals recruiting letter in your back yard with family and friends is all good fun. There is a certain amount of responsibility that goes along with being a recruit at a major university. Tweeting,public boasts and immature behavior does not meet that responsibility.
twirtzy
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 4:57 p.m.
This is a sign of a mess on his hands? Really??? It appears to me that there is not much to see here or be worried about. Brady lives for this stuff. It's called a rivalry for a reason. How many death threats do you think he's gotten from "Ohio" fans over the last year and a half?
heartbreakM
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 2:48 p.m.
The thing that we all have to learn (especially the younger less experienced young adults) is that when you post things online, there is no backing away from it. It is there. And there are consequences. I see the coaches all over the place cautioning the use of social media, facebook, etc but this is just another lesson of unintended consequences for a seemingly innocent (though provocative) picture. But the hatred that comes out of people is just plain scary!!
ViSHa
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 2:42 p.m.
When you ask for attention (posting to twitter, etc) never be surprised by what kind of attention you receive---it's the nature of the beast, sadly.
Eric Douglas
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 1:52 p.m.
What's so upsetting about getting a letter in the mail that you have to burn it? Does he burn all of his junk mail? Lol. Everyone in this situation is acting like an idiot: recruit and OSU fans.
craigjjs
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 1:42 p.m.
I was at the Big Ten Basketball Tournament seated next to a middle aged OSU fan (a surgeon). We spoke quite a bit and he seemed to be a nice enough guy. To my surprise, he brought up the subject of excessive OSU fans. His theory was that OSU is really the only game in town so the fans have no other focus for their emotions. I am not sure I agree with that, but it was good to see that at least some OSU fans recognize they are known for being excessive and are concerned.
chuck
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 1:38 p.m.
Whether good or bad, STAY AWAY FROM TWITTER !!!!!!!
craigjjs
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 1:44 p.m.
Do not underestimate the educational value of teaching student athletes to count to 140.
81wolverine
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 1:02 p.m.
What do you expect from their fans? That's the way they think down there.
MRunner73
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 12:57 p.m.
Some of these fanatics should be accountable for the statements. The letter burning was nothing more than a prank and made a bold statement to ohio to back off. Hopefully, urban meyer gets the message.
john
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 12:23 p.m.
Could these threats be coming from the OSU coaches?
Peter
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 5:03 p.m.
I dunno Hannity, but you're just asking questions, right?
58-44-6
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 5:51 a.m.
the degree to which watching sports dominate the lives of many American men is, in a word, pathetic. Sports have much to offer. They can promote teamwork, sportsmanship and good health and instill discipline and humility. But most of these benefits are derived not from watching, betting on, or fantasizing about sports. They come from actually playing them.
craigjjs
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 1:38 p.m.
The degree to which condescension and elitism dominate the lives of some Americans is, in a word, pathetic.
58-44-6
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 5:34 a.m.
overcompensation - Excessive compensation, especially the exertion of effort in excess of that needed to compensate for a physical or psychological characteristic or defect.
Mick52
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 3:03 a.m.
"But you know what? God bless 'em. I'm moving on." Damn I like this kid.
Eric Douglas
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 1:53 p.m.
Yeah, burning a letter and posting it to Twitter was really smart. Lol
SMC
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 2:27 a.m.
So, a kid posts an inflammatory picture on the internet, and fans of the school he insults decide to lash out at him in return. I'm not sure I can put it into words, my complete lack of surprise. After all, I'm 100% certain that there would not be a remarkably similar response from members of the wolverines downriver fan club if the shoe were on the other foot. Not a chance. Never.
Ed Kimball
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 1:04 p.m.
If any recruit is foolish enough to choose OSU over UM, then we'll find out. In the meantime, death threats are a disproportionate response to burning a letter, don't you think?
Hailyes1
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 2:12 a.m.
and by the way your school mascot is a Nut not a Deer, no wonder there is so much anger down there.
azwolverine
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 1:54 a.m.
Buck fans did this with Kalis, now they're doing it with Tulely-Tillman. Death threats? Burn in hell? Holocaust? If I were a Buck fan, alum, or member of the program, I'd be ashamed right now. A 17 year old kid burning a letter does not equate to the shameful and spineless behavior of these idiots. Beyond classless, it's a complete disgrace.
Engineer
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 1:09 a.m.
When your student body has an average IQ of 80 or below this is what you get. Urban Crier is a perfect fit. No scrupals or ethics and not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Remember when he cried like a baby about his gators playing OSU for the title when he knew Michigan was the better team. Carr pointed that out to him for his last game.
smokeblwr
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 1:13 a.m.
Even though UM Engineering sent me to Remedial Writing, I think it is spelled "scruples".
amlive
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 12:55 a.m.
Ah, sportsmanship and the American way. Sports like football always seem to bring out the best in society, doesn't it? It really helps engrain the mentality of blind, unquestioning partisan loyalty in our children from a young age. If this is how our society responds to a meaningless obsession over a vIcarious pass time, is it any wonder that our political dialog is so hopelessly disfuntional? I wonder why I never hear stories like this over drum core and color guard competitions.
wcchamp4
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 12:09 a.m.
typical immature OSU fans.....
john
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 12:22 p.m.
I wonder if it was from the OSU coaches
Terry Star21
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 11:30 p.m.
Saw that one coming........
E Claire
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 4:41 p.m.
Doesn't surprise me either. Years ago I made the mistake of going to OH for the Michigan/Ohio game. We won and on the way out, I saw a group of men start throwing beer cans at a very elderly man and his wife. Instead of helping, other OH fans joined in and the police had to stop the attack. Sickening.
Terry Star21
Wed, May 30, 2012 : 12:29 a.m.
Mil....I did. I have no idea what makes people act ridiculous and plain stupid as you mention. I've been around long enough to know there are very violent reactions from people (so called fans). I mentioned yesterday that I didn't like it, that it should have been kept private. Most 'replies' told me to lighten up, it's all good, it's all fun ! Is it fun ?
Milqueman
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 11:57 p.m.
Really Terry? You saw death threats and comparisons to burning Jewish in the Holocaust? I can understand that maybe you saw hate mail coming in, but not to this extent. This is just ridiculous and way overboard. There is being loyal to your school, but this is totally insane and uncalled for. Why would anybody say those things under a guise for loyalty to a school. Just plain stupid.
Julius
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 11:14 p.m.
Burn baby burn
Dcam
Tue, May 29, 2012 : 10:58 p.m.
It's not the first letter ever burned in the US. "Boston, Jan. 17, 1776. "I can see the rebels' camp very plain, whose colors, a little while ago, were entirely red; but, on the receipt of the king's speech (which they burnt), they have hoisted the Union Flag, which is here supposed to intimate the union of the provinces." - extract from a letter of a captain of an English transport to his owners in London THE HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL FLAG of the United States of AMERICA. - 1853