Iosivas' dropped passes don't justify death wishes | Opinion

I’ve received threats. I’ve had people want to fight me.

Yet here I am nearly three decades later still writing, reporting and giving opinions.

Thin-skinned journalists don’t survive long in this business.

What I learned years ago is what Iosivas now has to internalize quickly: either tune out the haters or use them as fuel. You cannot allow toxic strangers online to throw you off your game emotionally or professionally.

Because here’s the truth: Iosivas is already winning.

He’s a professional athlete making a tremendous living playing the game he loves. A lot of people criticizing him from behind anonymous accounts wish they had even a fraction of his talent, opportunity or success. Some of that ugliness directed his way is rooted in envy whether people want to admit it or not.

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The internet gives miserable people a megaphone.

And social media in particular has created an ecosystem where some trolls derive genuine joy from demeaning people, disrupting conversations and provoking reactions. Many do it hiding behind fake profiles and burner accounts because they know they’d never say those things to someone’s face.

They’re keyboard cowards.

Don’t give trolls your energy

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas (80) signs autographs before the Bengals take on New York Jets Sunday October 26, 2025 at Paycor Stadium.

What makes this whole thing unfortunate is that by all accounts, Iosivas is exactly the kind of player and person Bengals fans should be rooting for.

A few years ago, my wife and I vacationed in Hawaii, where Iosivas grew up in Honolulu. I wore Bengals gear throughout the trip and people constantly brought him up with excitement and pride. One waiter at a restaurant told me he had gone to school with Iosivas and described him as a genuinely good person.

That stuck with me.

Fans absolutely have the right to criticize performance. That comes with professional sports and million-dollar contracts. Nobody is asking fans to pretend bad games don’t happen.

But there’s a difference between criticism and cruelty.

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Nobody wants the Cincinnati Bengals to win more than the players themselves. Nobody wants Iosivas to catch the football more than Iosivas.

The trolls need to relax.

And frankly, Iosivas might benefit from spending less time in his DMs and more time in his playbook. Some athletes disconnect from social media entirely during the season for exactly this reason. That may be harder for younger players raised in the social media era, but there’s wisdom in protecting your mental space from toxic noise.

Don’t hand over emotional capital

Social media connects people in incredible ways. It allows athletes and fans to interact directly in ways previous generations never experienced.

But there’s also a poison that lives there.

The worst people online want your attention, your reaction and your emotional energy. Giving it to them is letting them win.

Iosivas can’t control trolls. None of us can.

What he can control is whether he gives strangers power over his confidence, his focus and his peace of mind.

That’s a lesson many of us who work in public-facing professions eventually learn.

Don’t give away your emotional capital to people who don’t deserve it.

Cincinnati Enquirer Opinion and Engagement Editor Kevin S. Aldridge.

Opinion and Engagement Editor Kevin S. Aldridge can be reached at kaldridge@enquirer.com. On X: @kevaldrid.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals' Andrei Iosivas learns the dark side of fame | Opinion