Michigan's punter is getting death threats after he blew Saturday's game

It's safe to say Michigan punter Blake O'Neill's weekend could have gone better. He fumbled with just seconds left in Saturday's contest versus rival Michigan State, and the Spartans recovered the ball to score the game-winning touchdown and thwart the upset that had seemed all but certain.

As if living with the game's crushing outcome wasn't enough, O'Neill has had to field online harassment from his team's fans since the botched play. The Twitter jabs, many of which have now been deleted, ranged from telling him to cut his hands off to mocking his Australian heritage to suggesting he take his own life, MLive.com reports.

On Sunday, Michigan athletic director Jim Hackett wrote an open letter to the Wolverine community in an attempt to put an end to the hostility.

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"I'm asking that our community not lose this game twice by condoning thoughtless comments," he wrote.

In addition to Michigan staff, some fans put aside their disappointment and stuck by O'Neill. Julie Kliegman