What a time to play big-time college football. Social media covers your every step and documents your every move.

That’s what happened recently at the Innisfree Irish Pub in Tuscaloosa. Former Clemson QB Deshaun Watson visited the pub recently, and he was allegedly asked to leave by fans and two former Alabama players: Ryan Anderson and Wallace Gilberry.

In phone interview with AL.com’s John Talty, Anderson, however, said he was only trying to help Watson and not make him leave the pub.

“It was blown out of proportion. I didn’t ask him to leave,” Anderson told the media outlet. “I simply made a suggestion. I told him it wasn’t smart for him to be there and if he had finished eating, he should get up out of there. That’s all it was.

“I just let him know what I was trying to do,” Anderson said. “I was trying to help him.”

Following the initial story, a second video emerged of Anderson and Gilberry speaking with Watson and his friends. That seemed to really cause a stir, because the story appeared to be that two former players made Clemson’s quarterback leave a Tuscaloosa bar.

With all the backlash and publicity of the story, Anderson’s publicist recently spoke to TMZ and said Anderson and Gilberry were trying to save Watson from a confrontation with fans. Now, Anderson spoke to AL.com to clear the air.

Why did this blow into a national story? Aside from being captured on social media, it’s two national powerhouses in Alabama and Clemson that just played for the national title, and it was a dramatic finish, with the Tigers defeating the Tide. It also involved a superstar player in Watson appearing to be made to leave a pub in Tuscaloosa.

Fans can debate on whether it was a good or bad decision for Watson to set foot in the pub, but fans shouldn’t act ridiculously towards opposing players. Let Watson and his friends enjoy a nice dinner and a few drinks.