B.C. Lions ‘disgusted’ by social media death threats following West Final loss

Photo courtesy: Arthur Ward/CFL.
The B.C. Lions suffered a devastating loss in the West Final on Saturday, but what came after was far worse.

In the aftermath of the defeat, offensive lineman Andrew Peirson shared on X that the spouse of a teammate had received online death threats as a result of the game.

“Obviously, words cannot describe how absolutely gutted about the outcome, and I usually keep my comments to myself, but it’s completely unacceptable to message a wife/partner of a football player with death threats,” he wrote. “They go through enough during the season and don’t deserve that.”

The Lions confirmed that an incident took place on social media and that the team is looking into it, though they declined to share which player had been affected. Head coach Buck Pierce was both emotional and emphatic in his response on Sunday.

“It should never happen. It should never happen on any social media platform anywhere,” he said. “These guys are human beings that deserve to be treated in a certain way. It disgusts me, actually.”

The Lions lost 24-21 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West Final, seeing their Grey Cup dreams dashed on a controversial late Tommy Nield touchdown catch. B.C. led by four points with less than three minutes remaining, but went two-and-out on consecutive offensive possessions and failed to get a stop on the Riders’ seven-play, 76-yard game-winning drive.

Quarterback Nathan Rourke said he was aware that threats were made, but that he believed they were sent by a Saskatchewan supporter, rather than a B.C. fan upset over the loss. Regardless of who was behind the threats, their delivery was unacceptable.

“I just don’t think that has any place in this game. I think there are a lot of great fans across the league, but obviously, those comments crossed the line,” Rourke said. “I don’t think anyone should be put in that position, especially a spouse or partner. I was very disgusted and taken aback by how inappropriate those comments were. I think the club is going to be doing whatever it takes to make sure that that kind of stuff and those who are affected are taken care of.”

The CFL introduced a fan code of conduct following a physical altercation between fans and players in the 2021 East Final, which can result in ejection from a venue or a ticket ban. However, that policy only covers offences committed in person at a stadium, with anonymous threats on social media being far more difficult to corroborate and address.

Uttering threats, including via online posts, is a criminal offence in Canada. A summary conviction can result in up to two years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine, while a more serious indictable charge involving threats to cause death or bodily harm carries a maximum sentence of five years.