Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball star Harper Murray has had one heck of a 2024. It began facing over-the-top criticism and rhetoric from social media users with a laughably poor grip on reality after Murray said she felt the Huskers would win several national titles after they lose in the final game in the 2023 tournament.
It worsened as she repeatedly found herself in legal trouble in the spring. She even had to make a trip to the hospital in the summer. And then, as the Huskers’ season came ever closer, the dark clouds began to lift.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball season tipped off with one win after another. Harper Murray’s story was told, allowing people to understand what she went through. And now, she’s offering up an explanation of sorts and a kind of warning. Murray put out a video earlier this week where she talked directly to the critics on social media. The people who have trolled and harassed her.
Nebraska Cornhuskers star Harper Murray tells critics to chill and stop
a really important message from harper murray about women college athletes that a lot of y’all need to hear. highly recommend watching her whole video bc it was rlly good. pic.twitter.com/uxab3kZE8g
— mika ★ (@reesespheeses) November 30, 2024
“The people commenting and posting these things and making these videos, like I'm speaking to you,” Murray starts. “Like you guys will never be in our shoes. And that's the hard truth.”
“Like you guys will never experience what we have to experience on a day-to-day basis. And until you do, keep your negativity and your opinions to yourself, especially if they're negative.”
“Because when you have worked so hard for so much of your life, if you have committed so much of your life to one thing, like one sport, and to not execute it once or twice, and to have thousands of people talking about what you should have done better, what you shouldn't have done, about blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.”
Murray went on to make it clear that her motivation for her message wasn’t that she didn’t want to hear it. It was that she didn’t need to be told.
“I guarantee that the athlete already knows what they should have done or what they should have done better. I guarantee it. Because you know why? Because we train hours on end every week to perfect one thing.”
Murray also talked about how people need to remember that athletes are human beings. They’re not defined by their stats, though it can feel that way, especially for Nebraska Cornhuskers and other athletes because of reactions by fans.
“I feel like there's so much positivity around women's sports these days. And there are still that like tiny percentage of people that still just want to bring us down. And I just wanted to get out there and say that like, you guys need to chill and stop. Because it is so embarrassing. It's so embarrassing for you.”
The Nebraska Cornhuskers star finished her video as a special shout out to those who have been targeting and inundating her with negative messages on social media.
“I know that I've posted a few things like kind of clocking back at people. And I'm going to continue to do that because I'm going to continue to stand up for myself and my team and other college athletes.”