Federal Judge Algenon Marbley had harsh words for Rippy during Tuesday's sentencing done via video conference because of the coronavirus pandemic.
An indictment unsealed late last year in federal court in Columbus accused Rippy of “electronic communication” threat from California during the game between Ohio State and the University of Michigan on Nov. 24, 2018.
The game was played in Columbus that year, and Ohio State won 62-39.
Instead, Rippy's threat during the Ohio State game sent authorities into a panic as they tried to figure out where he was and whether he posed an imminent threat to a stadium filled with 100,000 people, Knight said.
Rippy, a Michigan fan who grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, moved at age 27 to California, where he worked in fast food but couldn't maintain a residence, the government said.