A Miami sports reporter revealed Monday she has received an “influx of hate messages,” which appear to include death threats, after going viral for stiff-arming an overzealous fan during her coverage of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.
Samantha Rivera of CBS Miami took to Twitter to address the sudden surge of negativity, days after she fended off a fan who invaded her live shot as she reported on the Vegas Golden Knights’ Game 2 win over the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I’ve been getting an influx of hate messages/comments these past couple days and to those people, I’d like to ask if maybe now is a good time for you to move out of your mom’s basement??” she wrote on Twitter. “Stay blessed.”
Rivera also reposted a tweet from a fellow journalist, who defended her, that read: “Just spent 15 minutes catching up with @JSamanthaRivera and to hear that she has been receiving death threats is straight criminal.”
“Take what you want out of context, but to [threaten] someone’s life over a tweet that came immediately after an emotional situation is ridiculous,” the tweet from Willie G. Ramirez read.
Rivera also added on her Instagram Story, “The block button is a beautiful thing too.”
In the wake of last week’s incident, Rivera was praised online for delivering the impressive stiff-arm — all the while maintaining eye contact with the camera and holding the microphone with her other hand.
The fan, who has yet to be identified, appeared to be wearing a Golden Knights jersey.
Rivera was a good sport about it, though, and reposted a video of the viral moment on social media.
“Panthers lost another rough one tonight but let this serve as a reminder to back the hell off when I’m working and respect that I’m doing my job,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “Excited to get back home to some classy #Panthers fans for game 3!!”
Rivera, an American bilingual sports journalist and Chicago native, has continued to cover the Stanley Cup Final on-air.
Game 5 is set for Tuesday night in Las Vegas, with the Golden Knights leading the series, 3-1.
