Jim Schlossnagle says he and his staff received death threats after leaving Texas A&M

AUSTIN – Rivalries can sometimes be fun, with two schools playfully attacking each other on social media or arguing passionately in public.

Sometimes, however, it can go too far.

We have already seen this in college sports: some fans have resorted to violence, harassment and even threats to express their feelings.

According to Jim Schlossnagle, the new head coach of the Texas Longhorns baseball team, that’s exactly what happened to him.

In an interview with the Fort Worth-Star Telegram, Schlossnagle revealed to Stefan Stevenson that he and his co-workers were harassed and even received death threats after he left his job at Texas A&M to go to Austin.

“I knew it would be a controversial move to leave Texas A&M and move to Texas. But I didn’t anticipate the vitriol that my family, our staff and their families received,” Schlossnagle said in the interview. “Death threats, endless text messages and other things. I believe that most Aggies are really good people and I’ve heard a lot of positive things from many of them, but the vocal minority was certainly aggressive, to say the least.”

Of course, death threats and harassment are not acceptable behavior under any circumstances.

It is also the more irrational, vocal minority that makes its voice heard over the vast majority of a fan base. Yet something as simple as deciding to change jobs can cause this vocal minority to overact in more ways than one.

And even for someone like Schlossnagle, who has led the program to historic heights and always had the best intentions, things can get ugly in a flash.

“I took the job at Texas A&M because I thought it would be my last job, and I signed a contract with a large severance package if I transferred to another school in Texas,” Schlossnagle said. “I signed it voluntarily, with no intention of leaving.”

However, things can change – for everyone.

Steve Sarkisian left his job as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. Mack Brown left North Carolina. Jimbo Fisher left Florida State.

Coaches are constantly leaving their teams to seek new – and better – opportunities. Last year alone, there were over 30 coaching changes in college football across the country.

Like most of those coaches, Schlossnagle made the right decision by waiting until his team’s season was over before having serious discussions about moving to Austin.

“We never seriously talked about me going to Texas until the very end,” Schlossnagle said. “After Omaha, we ended up back in College Station. I met with the few players I could meet in person to tell them that this could happen and that I would no longer be able to talk to them because of NCAA rules. Chris met me at my house that day. We talked for about two hours, and then I made the decision and went to Austin.”

Yet the same vocal minority that allegedly threatened and harassed him, his staff and their families will continue to hold on to their irrational opinions for quite some time, no matter how many times Schlossnagle tells his side of the story.

And at some point, these feelings will subside. At least until the Longhorns’ first trip to Blue Bell Park with Schlossnagle at the helm.

Until then, however, everything is business as usual for the Longhorns’ new captain as he tries to add more depth and talent to his new squad.