Jarrett Guarantano had a rough start to the season but no performance on the football field should ever lead to death threats.

That may be commonsense to most people but we all know there are plenty of fans that take the game way too seriously and cross the line from time to time. According to the Tennessee quarterback, he received plenty of hate that even reached his family during his rough start to the season.

Following his outstanding performance against Missouri on Saturday night (the junior become only the third Volunteer signal-caller to pass for over 400 yards in a single game), when asked what it meant to come back from his demotion to the bench, Guarantano got emotional when referencing his teammates and their continued support during the tough times this season.

“There were so many guys that were there for me throughout the death threats, the mean messages to the sister,” Guarantano said on Saturday night. “They were all there for me and it really meant a lot. There were some hectic times for me and they were there for me every step on the way.”

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Needless to say, Guarantano has been through a lot this season but that’s what makes his redemption on the field all the much sweeter. Not only is the Tennessee quarterback leading the way on the field, but he has also silenced his critics off the field following their harsh comments.

During his Monday press conference, Jeremy Pruitt was asked to share his thoughts on Guarantano’s revelation of the death threats.

“That was the first I had heard about it,” Pruitt said. “Obviously, that’s something that anyone should take seriously. We are doing whatever we need to do as a university to look into that and protect everyone that’s involved in our program.”

How should Tennessee players handle these things in the future?

“Obviously, communication (is key),” the Tennessee coach responded. “Like anything else, if something is going on, it starts with communication and letting everyone know, the proper authorities about how to handle something.”

This is the latest example that social media can be both a blessing and a curse but the lesson here should be for those having unhinged thoughts in their moment of despair, just don’t hit send.