Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne had a rough time in Auburn's 20-14 loss to California on Saturday. When it comes to fan criticism after a game like that, Thorne tries to block out the noise, but that's tough to do when even his Venmo is blowing up.
Thorne completed 14 of his 27 passing attempts for 165 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions against the Golden Bears, and he took a lot of heat on social media because of those numbers. As if the vitriol from the usual places wasn't bad enough, Thorne was also getting hit up for one Venmo request after another.
During an appearance on "The Next Round," Thorne said fans will reach out to him after losing a bet on Auburn.
"Obviously people say not to listen to it and all that, but that's easier said than done because in today's world they come at you from all different angles" Thorne said. "You hear it verbally, but that's probably the least one. Just walking down the street, you hear it sometimes. Then obviously on the social medias. They'll hit you on Venmo and all that type of stuff."
Thorne noted that the requests only go one way. No one has ever sent the Tigers' quarterback his cut of a big parlay win.
"No, they're definitely not sending cash," Thorne said. "It's funny. When they lose money, they want the money back. But when they win money on a parlay, no one is ever sending me any money."
Thorne, now in his second season with the Tigers, has completed 56.3% of his passes for 487 yards, five touchdowns and four picks through the first two weeks. Despite his struggles last weekend, Thorne still has a grip on the starting job, but head coach Hugh Freeze says he will need to see some improvement from the fifth-year senior.
He and Auburn will try to rebound with a home game against New Mexico this Saturday.
