Auburn QB Payton Thorne under fire as fans reportedly ask him to Venmo their lost money on bets

Last weekend, the Auburn Tigers were defeated by the California Golden Bears 21-14. The defeat was sealed when quarterback Payton Thorne was intercepted on the Tigers' last chance to tie the game.

On Tuesday, Thorne made an appearance on "The Next Round" podcast, where he spoke about how the fans react to his performances:

“Obviously everyone says just don’t listen to it and all that. Sometimes, that’s easier said than done because, in today’s world, they come at you from all different angles. You hear it verbally — that’s probably the least one. But, just walking down the street, you hear it sometimes. And then, obviously the social media, they hit you on Venmo, all types of stuff."

Thorne was then pushed to elaborate on the Venmo comment, where he told the podcast that fans ask him to pay them for money they have lost on bets.

“They’re definitely not sending cash. It’s funny. When they lose money, they want their money back, but when they win money on a parlay, no one’s ever sent me any of the money.”

The Auburn Tigers have a passionate fanbase and have high expectations for their team. For some, they will place bets on the team to win. This means that an Auburn loss, like the one that was seen last weekend, will lose fans money.

In relation to the game against the Golden Bears, fans could easily draw a connection between the Auburn loss and the Thorne interception.

This leads some to think that Thorne owns them something, as he lost them the game.

This shows the reality of college football and most professional sports. Not only can fans experience losses emotionally, they can also experience them financially, and when someone loses money, they want it back.

Hugh Freeze states his belief in Payton Thorne

Against California, Thorne threw for 165 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. This performance led to many Auburn fans calling for a change in quarterback.

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze spoke to the media about Thorne, and he still has faith in his quarterback:

“It’s really hard to not play a young man, whether it’s Payton or whoever, that consistently is the best performer in practice over and over and over again… However, you have to carry that over in games."

Thorne will get the chance to show that his poor performance was only a blip when the Tigers face the New Mexico Lobos this weekend.