Ryan Day's wife reveals details of "disappointing" messages sent by Ohio State fans after Michigan loss

Sometimes sports fans cross the line. And Ryan Day and his wife, Nina, had to go through some awful messages after the Ohio State Buckeyes’ loss to archrival Michigan in the regular season finale.

As Nina recalled, after the Buckeyes’ fourth straight defeat to Michigan, hateful messages kept piling on for the Ohio State coach. Nina told The Columbus Dispatch of ill-willed notes.

“It’s very disappointing to me what some people are capable of, but you look at the news and you look at our society as a whole, people are very mean," Nina said. "They’re very negative. They’re nasty. I’m not saying everybody is, but there’s definitely a percentage of people that are just ruthless in their hate.”

Some messages, in particular, disturbed both Nina and Ryan Day.

“They told me multiple times to have Ryan follow in his father’s footsteps and kill himself,” Nina said.

Ryan Day’s father died by suicide when the coach was young.

While Day and the Buckeyes came through on the field and won the national championship in the wake of the loss to unranked Michigan, the coach’s family hung tough off it.

While they considered leaving Columbus after what happened, the Days are still there. Could that affect Day’s future with the team? Only time will tell.

Ryan Day’s staff takes big blow

Jim Knowles is joining Penn State, per reports. - Source: Imagn

If Ryan Day and Ohio State are going to defend the national title, they might have to do it with a new defensive coordinator, as Jim Knowles is reportedly taking the same position at Penn State.

According to CBS Sports and 247 Sports, Knowles picked Penn State over Oklahoma State and a push from Ohio State to keep him. He will now join James Franklin’s staff and a Nittany Lions team that was one win away from playing the CFP championship game.

Under Knowles, Ohio State had the nation's best defense in 2024, allowing 254.9 yards and 12.9 points per game. The unit only allowed over 17 points in three of their 16 games.

Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly could also be on the move, as he reportedly is on at least three NFL teams’ radar to fill their offensive coordinator position. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be looking to accommodate the former Philadelphia Eagles head coach.