CBS Miami reporter Samantha Rivera went viral during the Stanley Cup playoffs last week when she stiff-armed an overzealous fan who was trying to get into her shot while she was live.
Rivera, at the time, was discussing the Vegas Golden Knights’ Game 2 win over the Florida Panthers. Vegas would eventually go on to win the Stanley Cup in five games. She was lauded for her ability to keep the fan out of the way of the camera while she continued to do her report.
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A person takes images of a video board at Allegiant Stadium as it displays a congratulatory message for the Vegas Golden Knights on June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
But Rivera revealed the dark side to the viral moment – the hate messages.
“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?? Stay blessed,” she wrote.
ESPN Las Vegas’ Willie Ramirez tweeted his support for Rivera.
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William Karlsson of the Vegas Golden Knights hoists the Stanley Cup following their victory over the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena on June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“Just spent 15 minutes catching up with @JSamanthaRivera and to hear that she has been receiving death threats is straight criminal,” he wrote.
“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.”
On Sunday, Rivera spoke more about the moment with SiriusXM NHL Network Radio.
Florida Panthers players look on from the bench during Game Five of the NHL Stanley Cup Final against the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
“It’s honestly been overwhelming,” she said of the response to the video. “I truly did not think that it would receive this kind of response. And it’s interesting too, because I was kind of nervous to post it because I didn’t know how the world was going to react to it.”
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She added that she thought she needed to “remind people to kind of let us do our job and let us do what we need to do.”
