Redskins Josh Morgan Received Twitter Death Threats

Talk about people needing to get a life. . . The Washington Redskins Josh Morgan, who was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct late in the ‘Skins’ loss at St. Louis on Sunday, said he received threatening messages, including death threats.

Yes, Morgan made a boneheaded play when he lost his composure and threw the ball at the Rams’ Cortland Finnegan after making a 7-yard catch. The play set the Redskins up for a potential game-tying 47-yard field goal in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.

His penalty forced Washington to have to settle for a 62-yard field goal attempt that was missed. The reaction by some over-the-top fans is the downside of the social media age.

Morgan said Wednesday he was taken aback by the nastiness he’s heard from fans since his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

“I heard everything, especially when they get you on Twitter and are sending you death threats and wishing you bad things and your firstborn,” Morgan said. “You see it all, you hear it all. You never let it get to you, especially with me being from D.C. They treated me kind of like they did (San Francisco 49ers return man) Kyle Williams last year when he dropped a punt against the Giants.”

Morgan said the threats are keeping him focused. He said he wasn’t tempted to discontinue his Twitter account.

“The only thing I take seriously is football and my family, and nothing really scares me,” he said.

Morgan said he’s been fined over the penalty but doesn’t yet know the amount. He also said he wouldn’t be throwing such a tantrum again. After all, raising the ire of fans is one thing, but getting a cold stare from the coaching staff is something else.

“Especially with coach Mike Shanahan,” he said, “none of us are dumb enough to make the same mistake twice.”

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top