Columbus TV station faces fierce backlash for tweet saying Harry Miller 'quit' Ohio State football
Former Ohio State offensive lineman Harry Miller showed courage beyond anything one could display on a football field when, in March of 2022, he announced that he was medically retiring from football to focus on his mental health. In the announcement, he shared raw and intimate details, like the fact that he tried to commit suicide prior to the 2021 season.
And for his somewhat trailblazing decision, Miller will have the honor of attending the State of the Union address given by President Joe Biden on Tuesday, sitting with First Lady Jill Biden. A Columbus-area television station reported on the story but a specific choice of words got them in hot water.
A tweet from NBC4 sharing the story read “An Ohio State football player who quit the team to address his mental health will be a special guest at tonight’s State of the Union address.”
Former teammates of Miller’s and several former players and figures in the Ohio State community called out the tweet, specifically the use of the word “quit.”
Former Buckeye defender Matt Finkes wrote in part in a quote tweet that “every Buckeye practice I have attended in the past year, Harry has been there. He’s on the sidelines on game day. He’s family. He’s a brother. He’s not a quitter. Period.”
Rob Siston, an Ohio State professor in the college of engineering — Miller is a mechanical engineering major — offered his support.
“For the record, brave people who make hard decisions to focus on their mental health are not ‘quitters,'” Siston said.
After the tidal wave of feedback and questioning the decision to use the word, NBC4 did make slight alterations to the headline and replied to the original tweet noting as much.
For his part, Miller is seemingly staying above the fray. He posted a selfie of him with the White House in the background around midday on Tuesday.
Note: If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or is in emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK(8255) or at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.