For professional athletes, the game doesn’t always end with the final whistle. Sometimes, it follows them home in the form of threats, hate, and fear that no sports statistics can measure.
We talk a lot about what athletes go through on the field—injuries, comebacks, tough losses, slumps, and performance pressure. However, we rarely talk about life off the field and the impact on their families.
Online threats are a particularly dark and dangerous area that is becoming far too common. Athletes are criticized in the press and on social media frequently. It sucks but has become normalized in today’s online era. However, athletes should never have to endure hate comments or violent, life-altering abuse and threats.
That’s precisely what happened to Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers, Jr. May 10, 2025, will be etched on McCullers’ mind, not due to his performance on the field. In his second start after nearly a two-and-a-half-year recovery from arm surgery, McCullers gave up seven runs in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds. A rough outing on the field is tough enough to handle, but the real trauma for McCullers Jr. came in the form of online death threats from an intoxicated, overseas sports bettor frustrated by a lost wager.
The horrific message was aimed at McCullers’ children, threatening to “find his kids and murder them.”
McCullers responded to the threats, saying, “I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports, but threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with.”
One of the most heart-wrenching parts of this story is what McCullers endured afterwards. McCullers’ 5-year-old daughter overheard his wife on the phone talking about the threats. When he got home, she asked him, “Daddy, what is threats? Who wants to hurt us?” McCullers commented, “Those conversations are tough to deal with.”
The emotional impact cuts deep and lasts long after the police reports are filed. You start looking over your shoulder. You lose sleep. And you’re forced to explain things to your kids that no child should have to hear.
McCullers: “It does make you kind of shell up a little bit. It does make you kind of not want to go places.”
McCullers isn’t alone. A similar situation happened to Red Sox reliever Liam Hendriks, who just beat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and came back from Tommy John surgery. After a loss to the New York Mets, Hendriks and his wife received death threats, too. Some online messages suggested that he should “kill himself,” and others said they “wished he’d died of cancer.”
Sadly, online abuse is becoming more common. As legal sports betting spreads, so does the toxic side of it. Some fans are so wrapped up in their bets that they ignore the fact that the players they’re watching are human beings, not just stats or dollar signs.
Detroit Tigers All-Star outfielder Riley Greene said he got off because he received so many messages from people blaming him for failed bets: “I deleted [Instagram]. “I’m off it. It sucks, but it’s the world we live in, and we can’t do anything about it. People would DM me and say nasty things, tell me how bad of a player I am, and say nasty stuff that we don’t want to hear.“
The psychological trauma caused by threats creates an emotional aftershock that runs deep and heals slowly.
Athletes’ families are often the silent victims in these episodes. Spouses and partners live with the fear that the athlete’s profession could invite real-world danger and their children are abruptly introduced to the fear of strangers and an uneasiness of feeling safe in the world.
There are no current viable solutions. Even shutting down social media accounts may not be an option. Many athletes rely on social media to promote their brand.
The trauma will continue until we prioritize athlete safety and mental well-being as seriously as we do their performance stats. At the end of the day, this isn’t just about protecting professional athletes. It’s about protecting their families and their kids.
At Player Support Services, Ltd, we’re here to advocate for the well-being of athletes and their families. We offer specific services to help athletes deal with online abuse, including counseling, child psychology, and social media management. We also offer sports psychology services to help athletes focus and perform at their peak during these troubling times.
Through our Six Pillars of Athlete Well-Being (Performance, Physical, Emotional, Financial, Family, and Post-Career, we care for the athlete and the person behind the stat line, both on and off the field.
Want to learn more about Player Support Services or need help now? Visit www.player-support.com or contact us at info@player-support.com.
JJ Weber, M.Ed., is a Co-Founder of Player Support Services and Director of Sports and Injury Psychology with over two decades of experience working with professional, Olympic, and elite athletes. If you have any questions about Player Support Services or how to become a member, email JJ Weber, M.Ed., at joe@player-support.com.
