Ohio State football: Jameson Williams’ dad clears the air

After the Ohio State football team got news of Jameson Williams transferring, his dad posted some odd comments online. He’s cleared the air now.

When former Ohio State wide receiver Jameson Williams entered the NCAA transfer portal last week, it didn’t take him long to narrow his choices before ultimately settling on Alabama. Most Buckeye fans reacted positively and wished the junior from St. Louis all the best. Unfortunately, every fan base has a certain element and Buckeye Nation is no exception. Those fans did not react well and it led to a social media confrontation with Williams’ dad, James.

The elder Williams felt fans were unfairly bashing his son and let them know it. He claimed the Ohio State football coaches played favorites, among other things. The comments were very emotional and saying they did not come off well is an understatement.

Yesterday, James Williams called Dave Biddle of Bucknuts to clear the air. He said he and his son have no hard feelings towards Ohio State, but he is still unhappy with comments made by fans about his son. He told Biddle this,

"‘What I’m angry about is they say Ohio State has the best damn fans in the land, but as soon as my son transfers, the criticism comes in. Saying he drops passes. Saying he can’t run routes. Saying he’s a traitor. Saying all this negative stuff about him and hating on him.’"

Williams said his family was never mad at anything Ohio State did, Jameson loves the Buckeyes, and the coaches were exceptional. He summed up his son’s decision this way,

"‘What happened was a situation presented itself that was for the betterment of my son. That’s it.’"

I don’t have a problem with that. Most Buckeye fans don’t have a problem with that. But, there are always those who carry things way too far. The ones who take things to an inappropriate level are usually the loudest and make the rest of the fan base look bad.

I realize there is no love lost for Alabama (I’ve spent 50 years not liking them), but like it or not, a player should not have to be the subject of nasty comments simply because he sees a better opportunity elsewhere.

Do I think there may be a little bit of “I’ll show them” thinking on the part of Williams? Sure, but that’s human nature. You’ll have a hard time convincing me Justin Fields did not have the same attitude towards Georgia when he transferred to Ohio State.

I also don’t doubt Bulldog fans burned up message boards with nasty comments about him. Each fan base has that certain element. They’ll cheer every player who transfers in and jeer everyone who leaves.

As a parent, it is difficult to avoid engaging with the problem fans. My son was a hockey goalie for a long time and a very good one. I spent many games dealing with opposing fans chirping about him. It isn’t easy to ignore and most parents learn the hard way. You find out quickly you’re the one who comes off looking bad when you become entangled with people like that. George Bernard Shaw said it best,

"‘I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.’"

James Williams wrestled with a pig, got dirty, and came off looking very bad for it. My sincere hope is Ohio State football fans will reach out to him and let him know Buckeye Nation is a very good fan base.