Alohi Gilman Receives Hate Mail for Transfer from Navy

Notre Dame safety Alohi Gilman received a not-so-friendly letter from an anonymous loser recently.

A modern trend of college football is the transfer. It seems that players come and go from programs with extreme frequency. There are merits to both sides of the argument, for and against this. However, it doesn’t really matter if you are for or against this, as transferring is allowed by the NCAA. That won’t change anytime soon.

One player on Notre Dame who famously transferred recently is the standout safety, Alohi Gilman. Gilman is notable as a transfer, not just due to his immense talent, but where he transferred from. Gilman was, of course, attending the Naval Academy in Annapolis before arriving in South Bend.

Recently, it came to light that Gilman’s decision to transfer has led to receiving hate mail. The letter was penned anonymously, only being signed off by “Six veterans and college football fans!” The letter, which Alohi Gilman posted a photo of on his Snapchat, expresses contempt for him, and called Gilman a “coward,” for leaving the Academy. There’s a few really awful things about this letter.

First, even if you don’t agree with transferring from a school and can’t believe someone would have the opportunity to go to a military academy, only to leave early, the amount of anger to pen this letter is something that you need help with on an internal level. Writing a letter to make a kid, undoubtedly years younger than oneself, feel badly, is a gross action. It comes from a place of hate, and should never occur.

Secondly, I was someone who went to college, and found myself having issues. When you’re eighteen years old, and across the country from home, it is terrifying. You feel trapped, and alone. I transferred from a school that I love. Gilman didn’t even have that love for his school. Of his time at Navy, Gilman said, “It was terrible.” 

Gilman struggled through his year at Navy, because he didn’t belong there. He recognized this and has since rectified the situation. He did the same thing thousands of college students do every single year, whether they’re an athlete or not.

https://twitter.com/julianlove27/status/1085709458557284357

Finally, I do not understand how you can call someone a coward, without putting your own name at the end of the paper. There is no proof this letter wasn’t written by one angry teenager. No one is standing up to take credit for it. I know that I would fail in the military. I’m not cut out for it. I am extremely grateful to those that do serve. However, the action of writing hate mail anonymously is a cowardly act in it of itself. It is akin to that of an internet troll behind a fake username.

Alohi Gilman shouldn’t be attacked for making the decision that was best for him. He’s in a better spot now, and Notre Dame is lucky to have him. I can only hope that most people see an ad hominem attack like this as immature, and incredible.