Heavy is the head that wears the crown. For Ryan Day, being the custodian of bluebloods in Ohio State will be a poisoned chalice. He’s never going to get beyond scrutiny or the pressure to deliver. Coach Day has now saved his sanctity, his reputation, and his reverence within the Buckeyes faithful. The National Championship changed the climax of this season into a “happily ever after.” However, on one fateful Saturday in late November, it seemed like the clock would strike midnight before this fairytale accomplishment. His team’s then-leader, “Captain” Jack Sawyer, was confronted with demons of their pasts at the NFL Combine.Ryan Day, Jack Sawyer, and everybody in Columbus probably want to flush this out of their collective memories now. But before the glory and hardware, coach Day’s self-proclaimed “worst thing that’s ever happened” took a familiar maize and blue form. For the 4th consecutive year, he had to live out the transcendent horror of losing The Game to Michigan. This time, though, the reaction to this loss was much worse than previously. Not just externally but internally- from his own “fans.” Ryan Day was chastised in the aftermath, and his family was caught in the whirlwind. One aspect of what this ordeal transpired into, though, was not absolvable under any circumstances. Every fanbase has a lunatic fringe. The Buckeyes’ version can sometimes be a little more lunatic and a little less on the fringes. Just ask Kirk Herbstreit. It’s borderline disingenuous to say otherwise. This program has one of the biggest followings in the country. After the Michigan loss, a faction of them crossed the line. Ryan Day had to hire armed personnel to ensure the safety of him and his family in the wake of death threats. Football is life out in Columbus, but this was a step too far. Even for a Buckeyes’ homer like Jack Sawyer. Who grew up a fan in the town and was privileged to represent the scarlet and gray. As someone who went to war because a Michigan player tried planting a flag in the Shoe that day, Sawyer understands bad things occur when things spiral out of control. He put the adversity his head coach went through into perspective.Confronted about the lamentable death threats during his Combine presser, Jack Sawyer said, “Coach Day is one of the toughest, most resilient guys I’ve ever been around. That’s the reason why we all love him. It’s the reason I love him so much.” He poured his heart out, mulling over the things Ryan Day has shielded him and his teammates from. The emotions even got the better of him as he apologized for cussing at the podium. “No matter what’s going on. No matter all the unfair s**t that’s being said about him…You know he’s gonna stand in there and stand strong. Take it head on for us and take all the blame, even if it’s wrongfully deserved.” said Sawyer. He proceeded to address the egregious nature of how the threats permeated through to Day’s family.“Being able to see us have that happen. Hear all the things that we heard in Columbus and having his family go through the things that they went through. Then come out the back side of it and win the National Championship? Man. It just meant the world to me. Meant the world to us, him, and his family.” Jack Sawyer continued. He’s in Indy going through a trial by fire. Through the most important week or so for the rest of his career. Yet Captain Jack Sawyer spared a thought for who got him to this juncture. He even called Ryan Day “the best coach in the world.” If you’re aware of Ryan Day’s childhood, you can sympathize with him going through all this. If not, you will after hearing this. Fair warning for the morbid theme.Jack Sawyer couldn’t appropriately delve into the truly dark themes of Ryan Day’s traumatic experiencesNational CFB insider Bruce Feldman previously reminisced about speaking to Ryan Day’s son RJ after the Michigan game and ensuing death threats. Which Feldman confirmed were a real thing. RJ is a sophomore in high school who plays QB. Guesting on The Rich Eisen Show, Feldman said, “Talking to [RJ], he was like, you know, school was really rough. He didn’t go out much till after the Tennessee game. You gotta remember, that’s like three weeks [later].” In addition to this, Bruce Feldman also spoke about Coach Day’s daughters’ experience, Ourania and Grace, as well as his wife, Nina.Even though the two daughters are younger than high schooler RJ, Feldman acknowledged that “they knew what’s going on.” “I think that’s mind-blowing,” he said, in the negative sense, of course. While these two revelations were horrifying, what Feldman said about Nina Day and the conversation they had after the Natty goes to show the absolute worst side of this ordeal. Feldman, with a sombreness to his voice, recalled, “She pointed out to me a symmetry. The day of the National Title Game was Monday, January 20. It was also the anniversary of when Ryan Day was a little boy, and he lost his father by s*****e. I mean, the gravity of all that is just remarkable,” he said.For Coach Day to now stand on top of the CFB pedestal is highly deserved. He’s shown his character, his coaching acumen, and his mettle. The beats of this story aren’t akin to a fairytale at all. But at least he got his happy ending. All while throwing egg on the faces of those few abhorrent “fans.” Some of this mental fortitude has definitely permeated through to Jack Sawyer over the years. He’ll hope his own intangibles shine through to front-office brass during his interviews at the Combine.The post Death Threats on Ryan Day & Family Force Jack Sawyer to Break Silence as OSU Star Makes Painful NFL Combine Admission appeared first on EssentiallySports.