Texas Football: Death Threats to 5-Star WR Shows Sick Side of Recruiting

Recruiting can be an exciting topic for many as they see the nation's high school talent commit to their favorite programs. For others, there is a much darker side that can bring out the worst.

Ricky Seals-Jones, the nation's No. 1 receiver in the 2013 class, saw the dark side of recruiting after decommitting from Texas, according to ESPN.com.

"

"When I decommitted, it was crazy," Seals-Jones told ESPN.com. "I got death threats on Twitter. A couple cars in my neighborhood we didn't know would drive by house real slow. I live in the country, so the cars that do drive by, you know who's in them.

"I guess for some people, it's that serious. As the days and weeks went by, it started to die off, but for a few days, it was real hectic."

"

Threatening an athlete of any age for not selecting your team is an absolutely disgusting display of unsportsmanlike conduct. While some may say they were "joking," there is nothing funny about threatening someone, especially a young person over decommitting from a program.

After all, Jones is still considering Texas. Thankfully for the Longhorns, the wide receiver is not taking any of the comments or rumors to heart. Chester Jones, Seals-Jones father, told ESPN.com that his son knows the truth and anything beyond that he doesn't care much to listen to.

A lot of credit should be given to Jones for keeping a positive attitude, but hopefully any future threats cease with time. As college football fans, it's imperative to support these young athletes, not tear them down.

In the big scheme of things, threats end up hurting a program more than helping it, which could drive players like Seals-Jones away. That's the opposite of what fans want anyway, right?