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Tag: Michigan

THC vapes recalled in Michigan, agencies cite potential harm to lungs

Multiple THC vapes have been voluntarily recalled in Michigan after the Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) found they contain an oil that could potentially harm lungs.

The BLOOM Classic and BLOOM Live vape cartridges allegedly include Medium Chain Triglyceride Chain (MCT) oil, which has led to the recent recall of several vape cartridges, according to a report from affiliate FOX 2 Detroit.

A man smokes an electronic cigarette on June 2, 2022, in Krakow, Poland. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto/Getty Images / Reuters Photos)

D.E.A. WARNS GEORGIA TO CANCEL PLANS TO BECOME FIRST STATE TO ALLOW PHARMACIES TO SELL MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Recalled vapes include: Alien Jack; Blue Dream; Cereal Milk; Champagne Kush; Durban Gelato; Face Off OG; Forbidden Fruit; Green Crack; Jack Herer; Maui Wowie; Pineapple Express; Pineapple Sherbert; Rainbow Runtz; Skywalker; and White Widow.

While MCT oil, a non-THC oil, is commonly found in oral supplements and naturally occurs in foods like cheese and yogurt, FOX 2 reported it can cause respiratory issues when inhaled.

Michigan’s CRA started targeted testing for MCT oils in vapes last fall, and is working with dispensaries to retrieve and dispose of products, according to the report.

A high school student uses a vaping device near a school campus in Cambridge, Mass. A new study released Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, found another jump in how many U.S. teens vape nicotine-tinged electronic cigarettes. About 25% of high school seniors

LOOK WHO’S EXPERIMENTING WITH MARIJUANA TODAY MORE THAN ANY OTHER AGE GROUP

In January, RWB Michigan LLC and the CRA voluntarily recalled Platinum Vape brand vape cartridges over the same concerns.

Platinum Vape flavors included: Garlic Cookie, Blazing Blue Cheese, Banana Candy, and Grape Valley Kush.

Vaping remains popular despite health warnings. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Customers should check BLOOM vapes purchased after Sept. 1 and Platinum vapes purchased after March 4 to ensure they are not part of the recall. Affected products can be returned to the place of purchase or thrown away.

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Fox 2 Detroit’s Amber Eikenberry contributed to this report.

February 11, 2025
Pritzker trolls Trump by ‘renaming’ Lake Michigan as ‘Lake Illinois,’ joking he’d annex Green Bay

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has taken a satirical jab at President Donald Trump’s effort to rename the Gulf of Mexico and annex Greenland.

A straight-faced Pritzker released a choreographed video on Friday, with fake camera shutter clicks going off in the background, where he asserts that he is renaming Lake Michigan to “Lake Illinois,” poking fun at Trump’s recent executive order where he changed the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.

Pritzker trolls Trump by sarcastically renaming Lake Michigan as “Lake Illinois,” jokes about annexing Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Vincent Alban/Getty Images, left, Stephen Maturen/Getty Images, right.)

PRITZKER BASHES TRUMP ORDER ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: ‘WE WILL NOT FOLLOW AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL ORDER’

“The world’s finest geographers, experts who study the Earth’s natural environment, have concluded a decades-long council and determined that a great lake deserves to be named after a great state,” Pritzker said.

“So today, I’m issuing a proclamation declaring that hereinafter, Lake Michigan shall be known as Lake Illinois. The proclamation has been forwarded to Google to ensure the world’s maps reflect this momentous change.”

Trump signed Executive Order 14172 on his first day back in office which changed the name of the ocean basin. The order also renamed the highest peak in North America to “Mount McKinley,” reversing the 2015 decision to call it by its centuries-old name Denali.

Google has said it will make Trump’s changes once the Department of the Interior updates the Geographic Names Information System. As of today, Google Maps still refers to it as the Gulf of Mexico.

In the video, Pritzker then switches his attention to Green Bay, a Wisconsin city near Lake Michigan. And just like how Trump vowed to take over Greenland from Denmark, Pritzker pledged to snap up Green Bay from The Badger State.

“In addition, the recent announcement that to protect the homeland, the United States will be purchasing Greenland… Illinois will now be annexing Green Bay to protect itself against enemies, foreign and domestic,” Pritzker said.

In the video, Pritzker jokingly pledged to annex Green Bay from Wisconsin. (@JBPritzker)

TRUDEAU SAYS TRUMP IS SERIOUS ABOUT CANADA BECOMING 51ST STATE: REPORTS

“I’ve also instructed my team to work diligently to prepare for an important announcement next week regarding the Mississippi River.”

“God bless America and bear down,” Pritzker said, a nod to Wisconsin’s Green Bay Packers, one of Chicago Bears’ biggest rivals.

The video comes on the heels of a Justice Department lawsuit filed against the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago for allegedly interfering with federal immigration enforcement with its sanctuary polices.

The lawsuit claims that several state and local laws are designed to interfere with the federal government’s enforcement of federal immigration law in violation of the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution.

Trump signed Executive Order 14172 on his first day back in office, which changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

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Pritzker and Trump have also clashed over Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, with Pritzker declaring the move unconstitutional.

Trump’s order, “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship,” asserts that the 14th Amendment of the Constitution does not automatically confer American citizenship to individuals who are born within the United States.

They also feuded during Trump’s first term in office when Pritzker claimed the state only recovered a quarter of its requested personal protective equipment from the federal government.

Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.

You can send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.

February 8, 2025
Michigan sheriff who marched with protesters in 2020 launches gubernatorial bid

A high-profile sheriff in Michigan announced his bid to run for governor, replacing Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

First elected sheriff of Michigan’s Genesee County in 2020, Chris Swanson’s announcement on Thursday marks his full leap into politics after speaking at the Democratic National Convention last August. The race is shaping up to be one of the most fiercely contested political battles of 2026.

Swanson first gained national attention in May 2020, just days after the police custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked nationwide protests against racial injustice. He famously took off his riot gear and marched alongside demonstrators after telling them: “I want to make this a parade, not a protest.”

His bid comes as the Democratic Party seeks a new kind of candidate who can address top voter concerns such as immigration and public safety, issues Swanson plans to make central to his campaign.

NEWSOM CHANGES TONE ON TRUMP FROM CAMPAIGN RHETORIC WITH FEDERAL WILDFIRE RECOVERY FUNDS AT STAKE

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson announces his campaign to run for governor of Michigan in the 2026 election on Feb. 6, 2025, at Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)

Swanson formally announced his bid at Mott Community College, his alma mater, in Flint on Thursday night. He was joined by a packed house of more than 400 supporters from across the state.

“When there’s a challenge, we will solve it. When there’s a crisis, we will bring calm. When there’s an opportunity, we will seize it,” Swanson said. “I believe everyone has value. Michigan has value. It’s why I’ve always tried to find ways to help and bring people together. I believe that together, we are tough enough to win for Michigan.”

OUT OF POWER: DEMOCRATS DISORIENTED IN FIGHT AGAINST TRUMP AGENDA

In entering the race, Swanson joins Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in the Democratic primary, with Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II mulling a potential bid. On the Republican side, Aric Nesbitt, the top GOP state Senate leader, has announced his candidacy. U.S. Rep. John James ais lso considered to be a potential contender. Detroit’s once-Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan further shook up the race by entering as an independent.

Swanson has never won a race outside of Genesee County and he will be competing in the primary against Benson, who has won multiple statewide races and raised millions of dollars. Swanson remains largely unknown outside his county, which is about 70 miles northwest of Detroit.

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson talks during a news conference, Jan. 28, 2025 in Flint, Michigan. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)

The sheriff’s appeal as a non-traditional candidate could resonate in a battleground state like Michigan, where winning requires broad, cross-party support. In the 2024 election, Swanson was reelected with 65% of the vote in Genesee County — running nearly 14 percentage points ahead of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

Swanson’s decision to remove his riot gear and march alongside protesters at a demonstration in Flint following Floyd’s May 2020 death sparked national attention and praise from prominent Democrats, including Whitmer and former President Barack Obama.

He said this month that police had planned for a different response, but “as I was walking up, I thought, there’s got to be a better way.”

TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER TO DEPORT HAMAS SYMPATHIZERS ON CAMPUSES PROMPTS STUDENT NEWSPAPER TO DELETE NAMES

It also helped propel him to an appearance at the Democratic National Convention in August, where he wore his sheriff’s uniform and endorsed Harris in a brief speech.

The appearance was a rare show of law enforcement support for the then-vice president. Sheriffs in Michigan and across the country frequently aligned themselves with President Donald Trump during his tough-on-crime, anti-illegal immigration presidential campaign.

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson is embraced as he announces his campaign to run for governor of Michigan in the 2026 election Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, at Mott Community College in Flint, Mich. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)

Swanson’s background could boost his appeal in a general election, especially as immigration remains a top voter concern. However, he may face challenges in the Democratic primary, where some in the party have made calls to “defund the police” and reform law enforcement.

“It’s time that we have a different type of candidate coming through the system, not just the next one up,” said Swanson. “People, I think, are hungry for something new and fresh. Certainly the party is. And I’m that person.”

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Swanson’s gubernatorial bid was first announced in The Associated Press.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital breaking reporter covering crime, political issues, and much more.

February 7, 2025
Michigan Democrat Rashida Tlaib lashes out at Trump over Gaza proposal

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A Michigan Democratic congresswoman who refused to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential run due to the Biden-Harris administration’s stand on Israel is now lashing out against the Republican who defeated her, citing his proposal on ending the Gaza conflict.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib blasted President Donald Trump for his comments on the war in Gaza and urged her allies to ramp up a push for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

“This president can only spew this fanatical bulls— because of bipartisan support in Congress for funding genocide and ethnic cleansing,” Tlaib said on Twitter Tuesday. “It’s time for my two-state solution colleagues to speak.”

Tlaib’s comments came after Trump proposed a U.S. takeover of war-torn Gaza following the war, saying that Palestinians could be resettled to other countries.

SAUDI ARABIA CONTRADICTS TRUMP, VOWS NO TIES WITH ISRAEL WITHOUT CREATION OF PALESTINIAN STATE

President Donald Trump and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (Getty Images)

But Tlaib’s calls for other lawmakers to “speak up” comes after she declined to take a stance on last year’s presidential election.

Tlaib’s decision not to endorse a candidate in the presidential race came during a time of severe backlash against the Biden administration’s policies in Gaza by many constituents in her district, with some Muslim leaders going so far as to endorse Trump despite their traditional support for Democratic candidates.

One such leader, Bishara Bahbah, chaired a group known as Arab Americans for Trump. But Bahbah announced on Wednesday that he was changing the name of the group, according to a report from the Associated Press, citing Trump’s comments on Gaza.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib and union activists discuss free speech on college campuses, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

THE HISTORY OF GAZA AMID TRUMP’S PLAN TO REBUILD ENCLAVE

“The talk about what the president wants to do with Gaza, obviously we’re completely opposed to the idea of the transfer of Palestinians from anywhere in historic Palestine,” he said in a statement announcing the group’s name would be changed to Arab Americans for Peace. “And so we did not want to be behind the curve in terms of pushing for peace, because that has been our objective from the very beginning.”

But the sudden outcry in reaction to Trump’s comments wasn’t well received by all Democrats, with Democratic strategist Julian Epstein telling Fox News Digital that Trump’s proposal was a lot more positive than anything Tlaib appears to be offering as a solution.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Evan Vucci/AP)

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“Whether you agree or disagree with Trump’s proposal, at least he is proposing something that could lead to a bright future for Gaza,” Epstein said. “Tlaib, on the other hand, has advocated for policies that would keep the neo-Nazi, terrorist, race-hating Hamas in power while mimicking their rhetoric rom ‘river to sea,’ for which she was sanctioned by the House, including with Democratic support.”

February 5, 2025
Trump backed 2024 Republican Senate nominee in Michigan moves closer to making another run in 2026

Former Rep. Mike Rogers is “strongly considering” a second straight Republican run for the Senate in the crucial battleground state of Michigan.

The announcement from Rogers comes two days after two-term Democratic Sen. Gary Peters announced he wouldn’t seek re-election in the 2026 midterms, which will force the Democrats to defend a key swing state seat as they try to win back the Senate majority from the Republicans.

Rogers won the 2024 GOP Senate nomination in Michigan but narrowly lost to Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democrats’ nominee, in last November’s election in the race to succeed longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who retired. Slotkin, who vastly outspent Rogers, edged him by roughly 19,000 votes, or a third of a percentage point.

The 61-year-old Rogers made his news in a social media statement released on Thursday in which he spotlighted his relationship with President Donald Trump and the “support” he has received from Michiganders.

GARY PETERS, DEMOCRATIC SENATOR FROM TRUMP STATE, WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION

Republican Senate nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan, speaks alongside Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump during a campaign event hosted by Trump at the Falk Productions manufacturing facility on Sept. 27, 2024 in Walker, Mich. ( Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Rogers is a former FBI special agent who later served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee during his tenure in Congress. A one-time GOP Trump critic who mulled a White House run of his own in 2024, Rogers later became a strong supporter of the then-Republican presidential nominee and won his endorsement last year.

“I’ve spent the last two years traveling across Michigan with the support of President Trump and millions of voters,” Rogers wrote in a social media post on Thursday. “What I learned more than anything is that hard-working Michiganders deserve strong and honest representation that will have President Trump’s back.”

MEET THE REPUBLICAN SENATOR TASKED WITH DEFENDING THE GOP’S SENATE MAJORITY IN 2026

Pointing to his 2024 showing, Rogers noted that “since receiving more votes than any other Republican candidate that has ever run for Senate in Michigan, the tremendous outpouring of support and encouragement I’ve received since November proves that our mission to send a real fighter to the US Senate has just begun.”

He added that he and his wife Kristi “are strongly considering joining the fight once again ― to be the ally that President Trump needs and the leader that Michigan deserves. Good news is coming soon.”

Peters, a former House member first elected to the Senate in 2014, announced in a social media post that he would not seek re-election.

“Serving Michigan in the Congress has been the honor of my life. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity the people of my home state have given me,” Peters, who steered the Senate Democrats campaign committee the past two elections cycles, said.

DEMOCRATS’ NEW SENATE CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS KEYS TO WINNING BACK MAJORITY IN 2026

Peters was one of three Democratic senators up for re-election in the 2026 midterms that the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) was planning to heavily target as they aim to expand their current 53-47 majority in the Senate. The other two Democrats are Sens. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.

Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, is interviewed by Fox News Digital, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, on August 19, 2024 (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

While Rogers is the first Republican to publicly make a move toward launching a 2026 Senate campaign in Michigan, GOP sources tell Fox News others who may consider running are Rep. John James -who’s in his second term in the House and was the GOP Senate nominee in Michigan in 2018 and 2020 -, longtime Rep. Bill Huizenga, and former NFL head coach Tony Dungy.

Hours after Peters’ announcement, there were developments in the race for the Democratic Senate nomination.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who moved his residency from Indiana to Michigan a few years ago, signaled that he’s mulling a Senate bid.

Then-Transportation Secy. Pete Buttigieg speaks on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center, in Chicago, Illinois, on August 21, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

“Pete is exploring all of his options on how he can be helpful and continue to serve. He’s honored to be mentioned for this, and he’s taking a serious look,” a source familiar told Fox News.

Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan quickly took herself out of consideration.

WHO IS GARY PETERS? 7 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE MICHIGAN SENATOR

“Governor Whitmer is grateful for Senator Peters’ service. She is proudly serving the people of Michigan as governor and is not running for this seat in the Senate,” a spokesperson for her political action committee, Fight Like Hell PAC, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, is term-limited. Whitmer is seen standing for a Fox News Digital interview on July 25, 2024 in Durham, New Hampshire. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Responding to Peters’s news, NRSC chair Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina argued in a statement earlier this week that “Gary Peters is reading the room. After spending years ignoring illegal immigration and destroying his state’s auto industry, Michigan is better off without him.”

Scott emphasized that “we’re committed to giving them a fighter that will stand with President Trump to restore the economic prosperity and security of our country.”

The rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee noted that “no Republican has won a Michigan Senate race in 30 years – including last cycle when Democrats won an open Senate seat even as Trump won the state.”

And DSCC spokesman David Berstein also pledged that “Democrats will continue to hold this seat in 2026.”

Peters, in his statement on Tuesday, pledged “although I will not be on the ballot next year, I will not just walk away. I plan to actively campaign to ensure we elect a dynamic Democratic candidate to be the next U.S. Senator from Michigan.”

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Senate Democrats faced an extremely difficult map in the 2024 cycle as they lost control of the majority. And while an early read of the 2026 map indicates they’ll play defense in Michigan, Georgia, and New Hampshire, they may have a couple of opportunities to go on offense.

GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is up for re-election in a reliably blue state. And Sen. Thom Tills of North Carolina is also up in 2026, in a battleground state Trump narrowly won this past November.

Fox News’ Julia Johnson and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

January 30, 2025
Pete Buttigieg considering 2026 Senate run in Trump-won Michigan

Former Secretary of Transportation and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is not ruling out a possible Senate run in Michigan in 2026, following Sen. Gary Peters’ decision not to seek re-election.

“Pete is exploring all of his options on how he can be helpful and continue to serve,” a source familiar with the millennial Democrat’s thinking told Fox News Digital.

“He’s honored to be mentioned for this, and he’s taking a serious look.”

GARY PETERS, DEMOCRATIC SENATOR FROM TRUMP STATE, WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION

Buttigieg is weighing his options ahead of the 2026 race. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Buttigieg’s potential interest in running for Senate was first reported by Axios.

“I always thought there would be a time that I would step aside and pass the reins for the next generation. I also never saw service in Congress as something you do your whole life,” Peters told the Detroit News in an interview published on Tuesday.

TRUMP’S MOST VULNERABLE NOMINEES RFK JR, TULSI GABBARD GET BACK-TO-BACK HEARINGS

Peters announced he won’t seek re-election. (Getty Images)

“And that goes back to 2008 when I first won that House seat. I thought it would be for a matter of a few terms that I would serve, and then I would go back to private life,” he said.

Peters chaired the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) twice and oversaw Democrat Elissa Slotkin’s Senate win in Michigan in 2024, despite the state swinging for President Donald Trump at the top of the ticket.

PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE

Slotkin defeated her Republican opponent. (Chip Somodevilla)

Following Peters’ announcement, DSCC spokesman David Bergstein said in a statement, “No Republican has won a Michigan Senate race in 30 years – including last cycle when Democrats won an open Senate seat even as Trump won the state – and Democrats will continue to hold this seat in 2026.”

TIM SCOTT EMPHASIZES ‘RESULTS’ OVER RECONCILIATION PROCESS AS HE STAYS OUT OF DEBATE

Scott is chairing the NRSC for the 2026 cycle. (Reuters)

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National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., said in his own statement, “Gary Peters is reading the room. After spending years ignoring illegal immigration and destroying his state’s auto industry, Michigan is better off without him. We’re committed to giving them a fighter that will stand with President Trump to restore the economic prosperity and security of our country.”

Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.

Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to [email protected].

January 28, 2025
Michigan Democratic Senator Gary Peters says he won’t seek re-election

Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters will not seek re-election when his term ends in Jan. 2027, Fox News has confirmed.

Peters, a two-term senator and former congressman, told the Detroit News in an interview published Tuesday that he will start a “new chapter,” spending more time with family after nearly two decades of public service.

“I always thought there would be a time that I would step aside and pass the reins for the next generation. I also never saw service in Congress as something you do your whole life,” Peters told the outlet.

“And that goes back to 2008 when I first won that House seat. I thought it would be for a matter of a few terms that I would serve, and then I would go back to private life.”

His decision to retire leaves open a senate seat in a key battleground state President Donald Trump won in 2024. But Democrats held a similarly open seat when Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., narrowly defeated Republican Mike Rogers.

Peters was one of three Democratic senators up for re-election in 2026 that the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) was planning on heavily targeting as they aim to expand their current 53-47 majority in the Senate. The other two Democrats are Sens. Jon Ossoff of Georiga and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.

“Gary Peters is reading the room. After spending years ignoring illegal immigration and destroying his state’s auto industry, Michigan is better off without him,” NRSC chair Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina argued in a statement.

Scott emphasized that “we’re committed to giving them a fighter that will stand with President Trump to restore the economic prosperity and security of our country.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Fox News’s Chad Pergram contributed to this report. This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Chris Pandolfo is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.

January 28, 2025
Ryan Day hired armed security to protect his family following death threats after Michigan loss

In the days following Ryan Day walking off the field in Columbus following Ohio State’s loss to Michigan to end the regular season, his family’s safety was the main priority after they received death threats from a lunatic fringe of Buckeye fans.

There was obviously a monster fallout in Columbus after the loss, with fans calling for Ryan Day to be fired after Ohio State lost its fourth straight game to the Wolverines. But what some folks have not heard is how everything spiraled out of control from a safety standpoint for Ryan Day and his family.

Speaking with the Columbus Dispatch, Nina Day, the wife of Ryan Day, spoke about the terrible events that came in the aftermath of the Michigan loss. The situation behind the scenes for the family had turned, in a dangerous manner.

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Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates with wife, Christina, and daughter after defeating the Oregon Ducks 41-21 in the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential at Rose Bowl Stadium on January 01, 2025 in Pasadena, California.

“The time between the Michigan game and the Tennessee game was as low and dark as you could possibly imagine. Extremely negative. Unprecedented hate,” Nina Day explained.

When Ryan Day was eight years old, his father died by suicide. So, when fans somehow got hold of Nina Day’s cell phone number in the days following the Michigan loss, unfathomable messages started to pour in at a constant rate, before Nina decided it was best to just disconnect her phone.

“They told me multiple times to have Ryan follow in his father’s footsteps and kill himself,” Nina noted to the Dispatch.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day walks off the field after the game against the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 30, 2024, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, OH. (Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

On the outside, Ryan Day continued to push forward, holding his weekly press conference, while waiting to see who his team would play in the first round of the college football playoff. But inside the family, things were starting to get out of control when it came to their safety.

According to Nina Day, their 16-year-old son, RJ, started to receive death threats on social media, while the family’s address was also posted, leading to Ryan Day hiring armed security guards to protect his family at their house. There was also a thought from Nina that she should take her kids and leave Columbus during this time, not knowing what the next month could bring.

“I think he, at times, second-guessed his decision to get into this and be in the spotlight that we’re in. He felt responsible and just felt bad that he had put us in this position. He promised us he’d get us out of it,” Nina Day mentioned about the conversations with her husband.

Ryan Day ‘Fought Like Hell’ For His Family During Ohio State’s CFP Run

There are fans across all sports that take things way too seriously, and this is another instance of something that could not be controlled. There was no reason that the Day family needed to fear for their lives over a football game, I don’t care how much you’re paid, or what your job title is.

This is obviously the ugly part of sports, and it’s not as if this is the first time we’ve heard of coaches having to deal with these types of situations, and it won’t be the last.

Head coach Sherrone Moore of the Michigan Wolverines shakes hands with head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes following the game at Ohio Stadium on November 30, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. (Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

“He fought like hell and got us out of a very dark place that we were in five weeks ago because of his resilience, because I don’t think anybody really thought this was going to end the way it did,” Nina Day mentioned. “Everybody thought the season ended in November.

“All he kept telling me was ‘I want to bring you guys peace. I just want to bring you guys peace.’ And he knew that for us to feel any type of peace, he had to win it all.”

All of this over a football game. A family fearing for their lives, needing armed security to guard their house, just to get a peaceful night of sleep and feel safe.

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While Nina Day mentioned that you cannot label an entire fan base as the ‘lunatic fringe’, there are certainly a number of people who should be held accountable for their actions towards the Day family.

As I watched Ryan Day celebrate with his family on the field Monday night, hugging each member of the family, there was certainly more to the story than just a head coach who was dealing with outside noise.

January 25, 2025
Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka reflects on how Buckeyes rallied from Michigan loss to win national championship

Two days after Thanksgiving, Ohio State’s national championship hopes seemed all but over.

The Buckeyes, ranked second in the nation at the time, were three-touchdown favorites at home against bitter rival Michigan.

Despite the Wolverines being the reigning national champions, this year’s squad was not close to last season’s team. So, it should have been an easy win for OSU.

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Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, left, with the national championship trophy after a game against Notre Dame at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta Jan. 20, 2025. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

But they lost, calls for Ryan Day to be fired grew louder and there were serious doubts about what the Buckeyes would be able to do in the College Football Playoff.

They got over it quickly and dominated every team in their path en route to a national championship earlier this week.

Emeka Egbuka went 0-4 against the Wolverines in his career. He admitted in a recent interview with Fox News Digital he’d “have to think about” trading his new national title for a sweep of the Wolverines, considering those games are “almost as big as” the championship.

If the playoff remained at four teams, the loss would have ended the Buckeyes’ hopes of a title, and they would have been playing, in Egbuka’s words, “another meaningless bowl.” But, with the expansion to 12 teams, the Buckeyes had a chance at revenge and took it.

“It was definitely tough to be able to walk into the building the next day and look at my brothers in the face and look my coaches in the face knowing that we hadn’t achieved what we set out to achieve,” Egbuka said.

“But, you know, in that moment, we had a choice to make, because we knew we were going to be in the playoffs. We could have just rolled over and died, or we could have said, ‘We have the opportunity to be able to finish this the right way.’ So we all gathered together as brothers, and we were like, ‘We’re gonna do this thing.’”

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the CFP national championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

The anger of the loss lingered after the game, when members of both teams brawled after Michigan players planted a UM flag at midfield. The pressure was on Day, but Egbuka admitted that the short memory came from players-only meetings, not necessarily from anything Day did.

“It wasn’t too much what coach Day said. To be honest, we did a lot of player meetings. Just the leadership on our team and our seniority really shined through,” said Egbuka.

“When you look at some of the greatest teams in college football history, they all have great leadership. They all have great seniors, and that’s really who you remember being on the team. We really took that to heart.

“We knew that the team was gonna run through us. Coach Day is a phenomenal coach, but he can only do so much. We’re the ones on the field. We have to go out and play. And we just needed to permeate our mindset throughout the rest of the team because that’s what great leaders do, and that’s what we tried to do in that moment.”

OHIO STATE NATIONAL CHAMPION JACK SAWYER LEANING ON FAITH AS HE GEARS UP FOR NFL: ‘KEEP TRUSTING HIS PLAN’

Egbuka was part of Celsius’ Essential Six. The energy drink partnered with Egbuka, Travis Hunter and four other college stars as part of a stacked roster before the season began. Egbuka said his record-setting season, during which he became OSU’s all-time reception leader, wouldn’t have been possible without his daily 200 milligrams of caffeine in the morning.

“Ever since our partnership, the product is great. It’s energizing and fueling me all the time. The fuel that I got from it and everything and just helping it start my days. I mean, this has probably been the most intense season of my life.

“When it comes to meetings and practice, I’m waking up every day early in the morning, and I don’t get home till, you know, 9, 10 p.m. That’s hard to do with low energy, so I think Celsius has really helped me with that.”

There isn’t much time for celebration, though. After a parade Sunday, Egbuka will be in NFL Draft mode and will have to start training for next month’s combine.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) celebrates after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the CFP national championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

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It’s practically a nonexistent offseason for him, but Egbuka is ready for it.

“I am. I’m ready for this next chapter in my life. It is important to take breaks and take rests. So, I have a couple days where I’ll spend with loved ones leading up to training for the NFL. But it’s the life I signed up for.

“So, can’t complain about it too much. I’m just grateful to be in this position.  A lot of people aren’t able to get here.”

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January 23, 2025